Through a Youngling's Optics
by ScreamGurl
Summary: Two years after finding her way to earth, finding her father, and thinking she had every thing she could want. Starchaser's life gets turned upside down when old and new faces return
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

As the sun rose over the horizon, a cool breeze blew across the grasslands of the great state of Michigan. The whole world seemed to be coming alive once again. Birds sang their morning hymns as to announce the new morning's arrival. But in the city of Detroit it was another story entirely. Like always, the city was alive with commotion. People up and about doing their normal routines, and the Autobots like always, were up and ready for what the day may bring. But unlike three years ago that day, they were waking up with not only five Autobots, but six. It was three years ago on that day that StarChaser, Optimus Prime's daughter had come to Earth trying to find Optimus.

Because three years had passed, many things had changed. The location of the base, for one because Megatron now knew where the old one was and Optimus wouldn't risk StarChaser or any of his crew being killed. So they moved the base to an old sugar mill just sixteen blocks away. True, it was a long haul to relocate ALL of their belongings, but in the end, they all felt it was worth the trouble.

The second thing that had changed was StarChaser. True she was still young but she was catching up to her fellow machines. In just three years time, she had gone from barely being able to reach above Optimus' knees to being able to lean her head against his waist, mostly because her body was able to adapt to upgrades quickly. She was growing….physically as well as mentally.

All Autobots were in the recreation room of their new base that they had been in for some time now. Bumblebee was doing his usual routine of playing videogames with StarChaser right by his side. And the best way to put the situation is that StarChaser was owning Bumblebee miserably.

"Come on Bumblebee! I bet Ratchet could play better than you right now!"

Ratchet from the other room. "Hey! I heard that!"

Bumblebee looked at StarChaser and both started rolling on the floor laughing, neither one caring anymore about who was winning. StarChaser sat up and rubbed the lubricant from her optics before reaching over and shutting off the game counsel.

Looking at Bumblebee she started laughing. "Have ya' noticed that Ratchet is even more grumpy then usual?"

Bumblebee looks up from the floor then sits up. "What'd ya' mean? Isn't he grumpy like this all the time?"

Just then a hub cap flew across the room like a Frisbee and hit square in the back of the head. Bumblebee while rubbing the back of his head turned to see Ratchet on the other side of the room. "You two know that I CAN HEAR YOU!"

StarChaser looked down covering her mouth and giggled quietly to herself. Bumblebee just passed and uneasy glance to her. "How come he hit me and not you?"

"Because Bumblebee, I don't hit girls." Ratchet then shook his head and looked and pointed at StarChaser. "But I DO need you to come with me little one."

StarChaser rolled her optics. "Ratchet, how many times do I have to tell you, don't call me 'little one'…I'm not that _little_ anymore you know."

Ratchet laughed to himself while walking toward the med bay. "Technically you're STILL the youngest here, and you're STILL the shortest too."

StarChaser turned away grumbling. "_I'm only a couple of feet shorter then Bumblebee."_

Bumblebee wheeled around looking at StarChaser. "What was that?"

Ratchet laughed then motioned toward the med bay. "Come on now, your father asked me to run some tests on your systems."

StarChaser again grumbled then lay back down on the ground and stared at the ceiling with Bumblebee watching her. "Ratchet, why is dad so worried about me lately?"

Ratchet laughed. "I don't know kid, maybe it has something to do with these sudden growth spurts of yours."

StarChaser sat up and looked at Ratchet while crossing her legs. "I don't get it, what's wrong with me being tall? Dad's tall, why can't I be?"

Ratchet walked over and leaned down beside her. "I don't think it's so much that you're becoming tall, but it's more…well…"

StarChaser cocked her head. "It's more what Ratchet?"

Ratchet sighed. "Maybe your father will just have to explain, I was just told to run a diagnostic test, that's all."

StarChaser looked down and sighed, then looked up suddenly and looked around the room. "Where is my dad anyway?"

Ratchet smiled then looked away but then back at StarChaser through the corner of his optic. "I'll give you three guesses."

StarChaser cocked her head. "Is he out trying to catch those escaped convicts again?"

Ratchet laughed. "Yep, and guess who he's in pursuit of as we speak."

StarChaser thought for a moment before looking up. "Nanosec?"

Ratchet shook his head. "Nope."

"Slow-Moe?"

"Try again."

Again StarChaser cocked her head and looked up horrified. "Please tell he he's not after Professor Princess again, I still have had nightmares about dad coming home with hot pink and purple armor. THAT WAS THE WORST NIGHT EVER!"

Ratchet shook his head laughing hard. "No, he's out chasing the Angry Archer again. Apparently he broke into a jewelry establishment and now is on the run."

As StarChaser rose to her stabilizing servos, she looked at Ratchet half laughing. "Well, that's better than Professor Princess; it took dad two whole weeks to wash that paint off. I would hate to see him go through something like that again."

Again Ratchet laughed. "I don't even think HE wants to go through that again, it was pretty embarrassing for him, but on the bright side, we all got a good laugh out of it for a while."

StarChaser laughed too. "Yeah we did; didn't we?"

"Got a laugh out of what?"

Just then Optimus walked into the room soaking wet. StarChaser looked up and had to restrain Bumblebee from laughing.

"Dad? What happened to you?"

Optimus walked in and seated himself on the couch Ratchet had run to the med bay and came back with a towel. "Prime, what happened?"

As Prime took the towel form Ratchet's hands; he proceeded to dry off his face and then his arms. "Oh, Angry Archer thought he could get away by diving into the river…but…I proved him wrong."

StarChaser looked down and shook her head. "Please tell me you didn't dive in the river after him."

As Optimus proceeded with the finishing touches of drying himself off; he stood up and walked over to StarChaser beaming with pride. "Yes I did, and I caused Angry Archer to get caught in a tidal wave."

StarChaser laughed and turned away so she was facing Ratchet. "That doesn't surprise me considering you've got an aft the size of Cybertron."

Optimus flinched for a second then looked at StarChaser evilly. "Oh really..."

Just then Optimus ran up behind StarChaser and grabbed her from behind. He then wheeled her over his right shoulder and held her with one arm. "How'd you like my Cybertron sized aft now?"

StarChaser laughed and screamed at the sudden attack. She kicked and screamed and laughed all the same. Looking at Optimus she laughed and grumbled. "Dad! Put me down!"

Ratchet sat there shaking his head. StarChaser looked up at Ratchet pleading. "Ratchet, help me; I'm being abused!"

Ratchet again laughed. "If that's abuse, then you've been getting that since you first came here."

StarChaser put her head down and again mumbled something to herself. She then looked at Optimus with a half laughing /half cold stare. "Dad, this isn't fair and you know it."

Prime looking away from his daughter and only smiled bigger. "What isn't fair, the fact that I'm bigger then you, or the fact that you know you'll never beat me?"

StarChaser gasped and looked up. "What? I can beat you anytime, and anywhere I want. SLAG, I could beat you with one servo tied behind my back plate!"

Prime looked at StarChaser and only smiled even bigger. "Oh really?"

StarChaser grinned to this too. "Yes…I COULD!"

With that there was a loud commotion as StarChaser suddenly jabbed Optimus in the sides with her fists. Optimus fell to the floor with StarChaser on top of him. And thus, the wrestling match began. For a while it seemed as if StarChaser was going to get the better of her father, what with her using her strength to hold him down in a head lock.

"What's a matter _dad_, don't want to fight because you know you've already been beat?"

With his head still in StarChaser's grip, Optimus looked up and grinned. "No, I was only giving you a head start!"

Optimus then used his own brute strength to raise both himself and StarChaser off the floor. StarChaser still had him, but not for long.

Optimus then threw both himself and StarChaser again to the floor and rolled over each other in a battle to see who could end up on top of who. Optimus used his body weight to even it out to his advantage. He ended up on top of StarChaser, with her face down to the floor with her servos behind her back.

"So, you still think you're going to beat me?"

StarChaser growled as she looked at her father out of the corner of her optic. "Yeah, I do…because guess what _dad_, I'm only getting warmed up."

Just then StarChaser thrust her stabilizing servos up and kicked Optimus in the back. She then thrust her stabilizing servos up again and caught Optimus again in a headlock, only with her feet this time. She pulled him down backwards and freed her servos from his grip, then she lunged and her father ready to begin again.

This battle of jabbing back and forth lasted for a good twenty minutes, but it was at the ten minute mark that the fight gained quite a bit of attention. Ratchet and Bumblebee had been in the room the whole time watching and laughing at this friendly father/daughter confrontation. But eventually both Bulkhead and Prowl as well as Sari heard a commotion going on in the rec. room and just had to investigate. It was to their surprise that they saw both Prime and his child rolling around on the floor wrestling with each other. Sari, Prowl and Bulkhead thought it was the funniest thing they've ever seen.

It was at the twenty minute mark that both lay there on the floor using their stabilizing servos to hold the other down. StarChaser looked up obviously exhausted.

"So….y-you still think you're going to beat me?"

Prime looked up, probably as equally exhausted. "That depends."

StarChaser looked up confused. "Depends on what?"

Again Prime smiled evilly. "It depends… on whether…you'll be able to counteract this!"

Just then Prime lifted both of his stabilizing servos high into the air thus lifting StarChaser with them. He then used his entire body mass to throw his legs down thus slamming StarChaser to the floor; not hard, but hard enough to make her let go. StarChaser then lay on the floor sprawled out and groaning. She panted hard trying to get her cooling systems to catch up with the rest of her. Optimus then got up stood over her, panting but obviously with a triumphant stature.

"Like I said little one, you'll never be able to beat me."

StarChaser then looked up and grinned evilly before looking over to the others watching.

"Ratchet, you might wanna make the door way a little bigger for my dad's big head."

As Ratchet as well as the others laughed, StarChaser then looked back at her father still smiling. "And one more thing…"

Just then StarChaser kicked Optimus causing him to fall on the floor on his back. She sat up and smiled. "…I'm not that little anymore."

Optimus looked up and shook his head before laying his head back down and putting up a servo. "How about we just call this battle a tie."

StarChaser patted Optimus on the chest before lying back down on the floor beside him. "Okay dad, I think I can live with that."

Ratchet casually walked over and looked down upon the two red and blue 'bots; shaking his head and laughing. "You two are more alike then you know."

StarChaser then sat up with Optimus up sitting beside her. They passed glances to one another before looking back at Ratchet smiling. StarChaser leaned against Optimus' shoulder and shrugged her shoulders.

"It's not my fault if I've got the stubbornness of my father."

Ratchet laughed and walked away leaving the two still on the ground. Optimus turned to look at his daughter who was already looking at him; smiling from audio receptor to audio receptor.

"Do you think Ratchet is starting to get annoyed with us?"

Optimus shrugged his shoulders and leaned back placing his servos behind him on the floor. "Probably, that's just the way Ratchet, is sometimes. By now I'd think you'd be used to it."

StarChaser then leaned up against her father's chest plate with her optics shut. "Oh I am, but it just stood out a little more now than it has in the past."

Optimus rested his chin on the top of his child's head and chuckled to himself. For a while things were starting to cool down, but then StarChaser got the incentive to start again. Without any warning to her father, she suddenly jabbed her elbow into his side. Optimus looked down at his child confusingly, but she looked away smiling; acting as if nothing had even happened. Optimus looked away too before jabbing his elbow into her side. And thus it went back and forth until they both ended up trying to push the other over. Ratchet again walked into the room and saw the two back at it.

"When are you two going to give it a rest?"

Both Optimus and StarChaser turned and looked at each other and started laughing. Ratchet shook his head in annoyance. "I'll take that as 'never'."

"What's the matter old 'bot, don't have a leader who can act mature?"

Everyone turned suddenly to see Sentinel and his crew standing in the doorway of the new base. Prime looked up a bit shocked to see the blue mech.

"Sentinel, what're you doing here? I thought you weren't scheduled for another check in for at least two Earth-months?

Sentinel walked in with his chest plate stuck out and being the stuck up mech he's always been. "I have good reason to be here Optimus, and that reason I have to discuss with you in private."

"Good that will give _**me**_ a chance to sit and talk with StarChaser."

Everyone again turned around towards the doorway only to see the blue femme Chromia standing with a big smile across her face plate. StarChaser squealed and threw her servos in the air with excitement. Then without warning she ran to Chromia embracing her in a hug. At first Chromia flinched but soon hugged the child in return.

"It's been quite a while since I've seen you..." she said stepping away and holding StarChaser's face up toward the light. "…and my have you grown?

StarChaser laughed. "What can I say; I've got more than just my dad's looks you know."

Chromia laughed too. "I guess you do. So, how have they been treating you?"

StarChaser smiled. "My dad and his crew have been treating me wonderfully, thank you for asking."

Chromia smiled in approval then raised an optic. "I trust that your father has been keeping you fueled."

Chromia looked to Optimus who smiled and shrugged. StarChaser saw him do this and laughed. "Oh yes Chromia, he's been taking very good care of me."

Again Chromia looked at Optimus and spoke more sternly. "No _**incidents**_ I trust."

StarChaser laughed. "Nope, not one…unless of course you count _play-wrestling_ with my dad an incident."

Chromia looked at StarChaser shocked and the color drained from her face plate. "You **WHAT**?"

Optimus immediately started to motion a 'no-don't-tell-her-about-that' motion to StarChaser by slashing his hand across his neck, and mouthing the words along with it. But StarChaser didn't see him or hear him clear his throat to gain her attention; instead she was happy to tell Chromia.

"Oh yeah, dad and I goof around like that all the time. You know, play fighting and stuff; but no one ever gets hurt, we just go until one of us calls it quits."

Chromia turned around and passed a cold glance to Optimus. "Oh really?"

Optimus smiled sheepishly and bowed his head slightly. But StarChaser continued. "Yeah, but most the time he wins because he cheats."

Chromia again looked to StarChaser and again raised an optic in surprise. "How does he cheat?"

StarChaser laughed and sighed. "By usually putting me on the magnet in the old base and leaving me there."

Chromia was silent. StarChaser then laughed again. "Maybe that's why I'm not so fond of heights anymore."

For a moment Chromia was silent; didn't say a single word. But then she passed a cold stare to Optimus.

"You did WHAT to her?"

Optimus sheepishly laughed. "It was just a little prank and she was in no danger at all."

Chromia crossed her arms. "Really, hanging 30 feet up in the air from a magnet that could drop her at anytime is not DANGEROUS?"

Optimus put up a servo to argue only to have Sentinel place an arm over his shoulder.

"Optimus, can we put this argument aside so that you and I can discuss some serious business?"

Optimus nodded as Sentinel removed his arm and started walking towards the door. Optimus was starting to follow but turned around at the last minute.

"Oh Ratchet, have you ran those scans on StarChaser for me yet?"

Ratchet from the other side of the room shook his head. "No Prime, not yet."

Prime looked down at the floor thinking then back up again. "Oh, well can you get that done?"

Ratchet then walked behind StarChaser and picked her up swinging her over his shoulder making her yip in suprise. "Don't worry Prime, I'm on it."


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

StarChaser sat cross legged and pouting on the berth in the med bay. Chromia sat next to her watching as Ratchet prepared his equipment. StarChaser looked up and groaned.

"Ratchet, why does my dad insist on my getting checked out?"

Ratchet turned around and shrugged. "He's probably just paranoid."

StarChaser looks up confused. "Paranoid? Why in the name of the All-Spark would dad be paranoid?"

Ratchet laughed to himself and then turned to StarChaser holding a medical instrument in his hands. "Who knows? Maybe it's just a daddy's instinct."

StarChaser remained awkwardly silent. Ratchet looked up at her confused. "What?"

All StarChaser could do was stare at the tool in Ratchet's hand. Ratchet looked down and smiled. He then looked up at StarChaser and smiled even bigger. "Oh don't worry kid, this won't hurt…much."

StarChaser looked up and cringed. "Ratchet, that's not funny."

Ratchet smile got even bigger and more devilish as he pounded the tool in his fist and started to walk toward StarChaser.

All at once an oil-curdling scream rang through the base like someone was screaming bloody murder. Optimus was outside and he heard it clear as day. But he knew Ratchet was probably to blame, therefore there was no reason to go rushing in to StarChaser to make sure she's okay. Instead, Optimus turned his attention back to Sentinel who had his concentration focused toward the base.

"So what is this all about Sentinel?"

Sentinel turned back towards Optimus. "Huh? Oh, yes… Optimus…"

Sentinel then composed himself to appear more professional. "It turns out that I'm actually here to deliver a very important message about your child."

Optimus looks up. "What? What about StarChaser?"

Sentinel looks away. "Okay, well…it's not your child exactly…it's your child's…" Sentinel looks at Optimus sheepishly through the corner of his optic.

Optimus looks at Sentinel almost screaming. "My child's WHAT?

Sentinel looks up. "Optimus…I don't know how to tell you this, but…y-your child's mother may be alive."

Optimus' jaw dropped and he slowly started to stutter. "w-what? H-how is that e-even possible?"

Sentinel just shrugged. "Well, apparently after the explosion were your child's mother supposedly died, a word was sent out to all associated 'bots, no one really knew if she was off-line or not. The search and rescue team couldn't find her body so they assumed she was dead. But now…"

Optimus looked horrified and impatient. "But now what?"

Sentinel looked up. "But now we think we have footage of her at an oil café that she used to work at."

Prime looked up. "What?"

Just then Sentinel pulled out a vid-cam out of a personal side compartment and handed it to Optimus.

"Here, look and see for yourself."

With shaking servos, Optimus took the vid-cam from Sentinel. Carefully he turned it on and watched intently. Sure enough a black and blue femme was seen standing in an oil café and looked as if she was looking for something…or…someone.

Prime stood there holding the vid-cam in his shaking servos, watching with awe and yet horror. How could StarRacer be alive? It's just not possible; is it? Sentinel abruptly grabbed the vid-cam from Optimus' grasp.

"We've gotten reports of her going to several housing units for orphaned 'bots, and is obviously looking for something. And on top of that, she stole a pod from one of the Iacon cargo ships and hasn't been seen since. We traced her signal here and-…"

"Wait a nanoclick," Optimus intrudes abruptly. "Are you saying that sh-she's here? On Earth?"

"Yes Optimus, that's exactly what I'm trying to say!" Sentinel sighs and rubs his optics. "I just thought that it appropriate to tell you first before or even if she shows up at your doorstep. At least then it wouldn't be a _total_ shock."

Optimus looked away and didn't say a word. He only stared off into the sun's light. He then looked back to Sentinel curiously. "Does Chromia know about this?"

Sentinel shook his head. "Yes, we debriefed her and told her that the subject is under the uttermost secrecy."

Optimus looked up confused. "What, why is it under secrecy?"

Sentinel shrugged. "Beats me, I'm just following orders from the council."

Optimus looked down and nodded. "And what about my daughter, is she to know of these happenings as well?"

Sentinel again shrugged. "I don't know, I guess that's completely up to you."

Optimus cocked his head. "You mean that's not what Chromia wanted to tell her?"

Sentinel shook his head. "No, she's been put under strict orders NOT to tell the child, the council feels that telling her or not should be your decision, not theirs or Chromia's."

Optimus looked down at the ground and shuffled his stabilizing servos. Sentinel took the hint and turned away toward the base before stopping and turning to Optimus again.

"She's your offspring Optimus, and it's your decision to do what you think is best for her."

"OWW! RATCHET THAT HURTS!" StarChaser tried to pull away as Ratchet used his tools to take a reading of her fuel levels.

"Oh, quit your complaining I'm just taking fuel line samples." Ratchet put the samples aside and grabbed a large thermometer like instrument. "Alright kid, open your mouth."

StarChaser turned away and grumbled. "Why?"

Ratchet forcefully turned her head back toward him. "So I can take a reading of you internal core temperature you little pain."

Chromia stood propped up against the wall on the other side of the room laughing quietly to herself. "Is she always this difficult when it comes to annual maintenance check-ups?"

Ratchet finally succeeded in placing the instrument in StarChaser's mouth only to have her spit it back out again. Ratchet grumbled in annoyance. "Yeah, she takes pride in being the most stubborn 'bot in this base."

Ratchet then forced the tool in StarChaser's mouth and held it there. StarChaser grumbled and moaned at the fact of being outsmarted by the medic. Ratchet smiled and turned triumphantly to Chromia. "But sometimes, things get done the hard way."

Again Chromia laughed as she walked over to StarChaser. StarChaser looked up obviously not pleased about the cold metal rod in her mouth. Chromia smiled and patted her head. "Don't worry; it'll be over before you know it."

StarChaser rolled her optics and then passed a '_get-this-thing-out-of-my-mouth_' look to Ratchet who in turn saw her face but ignored it and smiled to himself. But soon enough, Ratchet pulled the instrument out of StarChaser's mouth and turned to record the observations. StarChaser hocked and croaked like she was about to be sick.

Ratchet turned and passed a look of disapproval. "Oh, don't make it seem worse than it really was…sheesh…you're worse than Bumblebee."

StarChaser giggled and then looked to Chromia looking for laughter from her. Chromia shook her head and smiled. StarChaser looked back to Ratchet pleading. "Are we done? Can I go now?"

Ratchet looked at StarChaser, then around the room. "I don't know…hmmm, let me see; what other tests can I run on you? Maybe a transmission exam, or I could check your energon levels, I could even run a diagnostic scan for computer viruses…sooo, I think I've got plenty of stuff to—what the?" But before Ratchet could even finish his sentence, the door had been flung wide open and Chromia was almost in tears laughing, and our little StarChaser, was gone.

StarChaser streaked across the base and hid behind crates in the corner of the new rec. room. She looked up over the crates surface and let out a sigh of relief, because lucky for her, Ratchet had not followed. But then she heard footsteps. Quickly, StarChaser ducked and covered her mouth as to remain as quiet as possible. But was surprised to hear not Ratchet's voice yelling at her to '_get-back-to-the-med-bay-or-else_'; but instead her father's voice who was talking about her. StarChaser slowly sat up and peered over the crate to see her father talking to Sentinel.

"So, what'd you think you're going to do Optimus, are you going to tell her or not?"

Optimus sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know, I would think it might come as a shock, so…maybe I'm better off not telling her, at least…not right away."

Sentinel sighed. "Well, I guess that now you know about the "situation" I'm going to get back to Cybertron."

Optimus nodded and both went their separate ways. As soon as both mechs were out of sight and hearing range StarChaser sat up and cocked her head.

"Tell me? Tell me what? What situation? What information is dad hiding from me?" All these questions she pondered in her processor. "What does dad know about that he doesn't what me knowing? Why would it have anything to do with me?"

As she sat motionless thinking about these questions, she was completely oblivious to the dark figure sneaking up behind her. Suddenly with a flash of motion, StarChaser was raised into the air and once again thrown over a shoulder plate. As she turned her head to take a look at her abductor, she could clearly see that it was just Ratchet. Only unlike before he now held a vey eerie looking devise that she didn't even want to know its purpose. Ratchet only smiled devilishly as he walked back in the direction of the med lab.

"I told you kid, I was nowhere near to being done…we still have a _**long**_ way to go."


	3. Chapter 3 & 4

CHAPTER 3

Several hours had passed and all of Sentinel's crew including Chromia had left to return back to Cybertron. By this time Ratchet had finally finished all his scans on the poor little StarChaser. She walked into the rec. room where everyone sat watching T.V. with Ratchet close behind. Optimus turned and saw that she had a small limp to her step.

Optimus looked up at Ratchet curiously. "Ratchet, what'd you do?"

Ratchet grumbled and crossed his arms as he looked down at StarChaser. "Oh, this one here thought it would be funny to try and run away while I had my back turned," Ratchet raised an optic ridge. "but we learned our lesson about fooling around with the medic…didn't we?"

Slowly looking down at her stabilizing servos, StarChaser nodded. Ratchet smiled triumphantly. "Sometimes, the best way to get your point across is through discipline and tough love."

StarChaser rolled her optics and grumbled. "Don't you mean 'a swatting upside the head'? OW!"

Ratchet had just smacked her upside the head. She looked up rubbing her head pouting then looked at Optimus with a babyish look of '_daddy-he-hit-me-again_!' on her faceplate. Optimus only laughed quietly to himself as he raised himself off the couch.

"Well, I'm sorry sweet-spark, but that's what you get when you contradict Ratchet's authority."

StarChaser looked up at Ratchet who just passed a glance of satisfaction. StarChaser then stuck out her 'tongue' (which Sari had taught her to do) and walked over and held on tight to Optimus' side. Optimus looked down and then picked StarChaser up in a hug.

"But dad, it hurts…A LOT!" StarChaser pleaded as she looked directly into Optimus' optics.

Optimus only smiled gently. "Oh, I think you'll be alright."

StarChaser then looked outside and saw that the sun was only a little ways off the horizon. She looked back to Optimus and questioned.

"Shouldn't you be on your patrol by now?"

Optimus turned to look at the sun and then at the digital clock posted above Telatran 1. Sure enough it was six o' clock; time to go on the nightly patrol.

"Yeah, I guess it is." With that Optimus gently placed StarChaser on her own stabilizing servos, nodded to Ratchet and proceeded to walk toward the door. StarChaser hesitated before bounding after Optimus.

"Hey dad!"

Optimus stopped and looked down at StarChaser who was standing next to him.

StarChaser looked up with pleading optics. "Do you think that maybe, just this one time, I could actually…maybe … go along with you on your patrol tonight? Huh, pretty please with axel grease on top?"

Optimus looked at Ratchet who returned an '_its-your-decision_' glance and then walked away. Optimus sighed but smiled. "Alright, but just this one time. Okay?"

StarChaser smiled and laughed to herself in approval as she ran ahead of Optimus only to turn around and yell. "Come on you slow-poke, we don't have all night 'ya know!"

Optimus shook his head and walked along quietly letting his 'back-up' run ahead.

At least an hour passed and, by this time Optimus as well as StarChaser had made it around most of the city and now were passing Central park on their way back to the base. Both Optimus and StarChaser had received several sideways glances from humans out and about merely because none of them had ever seen a sixth Autobot, let alone one that young, and the fact that she was being carried on the Autobot leader's shoulder plates just added to the awe.

Being up on her father's shoulders somehow always made StarChaser feel loved as well as important. That and she actually saw this world from a whole new perspective when she was up so high. Is this how her father felt all the time? She sat there lazily with her chin resting on the top of her father's head, just watching everything go by without a worry or care in the world until a sudden thought popped into her processor.

"Hey dad?"

Optimus looked up smiling. "Hmm?"

"How did you learn how to transform?"

Optimus looked down and though for a minute, then looked up again. "My care-taker taught me how, why?"

StarChaser looked down curiously. "Care-taker? Don't you mean your mom or dad?"

Optimus looked down and away for a few minutes and didn't say a word, but then looked back up at StarChaser.

"StarChaser, there's something about me that you should know, and that I think you're old enough now to understand…"

StarChaser was quiet and thought to herself. _"is this what he wasn't so sure he should tell me about?"_But she was quiet and listened closely to her father's words.

"…when I was young, a little younger than you are now, I lost both my sire and creator to the Decepticons. They both were in the Elite Guard and went off-line as heroes. As for me, well, I was taken in by my sire's brother. And well, I know you can figure out the rest."

StarChaser was silent. How come she never knew her father was an orphan? That so sad, she could never imagine what it would be like to have lost both her mother and father, and she never wanted to experience it either, she already lost her mom, and that was more than enough.

Trying to change the subject, StarChaser returned to her original thought of transforming.

"Hey dad, how old were you when you learned how to transform?"

Optimus thought for a minute but laughed to himself.

"I was probably about your age, why? Do you want to learn?"

StarChaser thought for a minute then smiled sheepishly. "Well, it'd be better than having to walk everywhere."

Optimus laughed as he stopped right in the middle of the park and removed StarChaser from his shoulders. "Alright, if that's the case, then we'll go ahead with the first lesson."

StarChaser looked up and beamed with pride, which only made Optimus laugh.

"Okay, the first and most important thing to know about transforming is that it's much harder than it looks. You not only have to really think about it when you're trying to attempt it, but you almost have to literally visualize yourself doing it, okay?"

StarChaser nodded. "Okay."

Optimus smiled and put up to fingers. "Rule number two; don't rush it, especially your first transformation. It takes lots of time to learn how to transform, and you've got all the time in this world to learn, but once you do you'll be able to transform like any of us at the base."

StarChaser looked up impatiently. "Okay, okay I get! Can I learn how to actually transform now!"

Optimus laughed. "Okay, then do it. You don't need me to show you step by step instructions. Just visualize yourself transforming."

StarChaser thought long and hard. She tried to push herself and thought about the vehicle she would soon take the shape of…but…nothing happened. She thought harder so hard her processor started to ache, she looked up miserably and disappointed at her father who in turn just smiled lovingly.

"I can't do it dad."

Optimus chuckled. "Don't worry, most 'bots never do. You just need practice, that's all. Give yourself some time and who knows, maybe you'll be able to transform faster than me."

StarChaser looked down and shuffled her stabilizing servos. Optimus crouched down at optic level and put a finger under her chin. He raised her face up so she was looking at him.

"Just give it time."

Again StarChaser looked down. Optimus stayed at optic level and just watched her. "Come on lets go home."

Optimus then turned so his back was to her, and looked over his shoulder. "Come on, I'll carry you home."

StarChaser looked up and smiled then bounded onto her father's back. With a slow but steady upward thrust, Optimus lifted both his mass as well as StarChaser's and went walking in the direction of the base.

StarChaser wrapped her arms around her father's neck and cuddled up to his face and yawned sleepily. "How long until we get home?"

Optimus continues walking. "That depends."

StarChaser wakes up slightly and looks down. "What do 'ya mean 'that depends'?"

Optimus looks up. "_That depends_ on whether we go straight home _or_ we take the short cut."

StarChaser looks away, then back at Optimus. "Shortcut? There's a short cut?"

Optimus looks up from the corner of his optic and smiled evilly. StarChaser sat back slightly. "Oh snap, I've seen that look before, that's the '_I'm-about-to-do-something-that-StarChaser-doesn't-like_' look.

Optimus walked to the edge of an overpass and looked down. There was large cement drainage ditch that lead west. Optimus leaned slightly over the side surveying the scene. The bridge had to have been at least 40 to 50 feet above the ditch. StarChaser grasped her father's armor as he leaned over and looked underneath the bridge. StarChaser looked at him dumbfounded.

"Uh dad, what'd ya' looking for?"

Optimus grinned slightly. "I'm making sure there's no one under the bridge."

StarChaser hesitated. "Anyone under the—dad, what exactly are you concocting that evil processor of yours?

Optimus turned away from StarChaser and again looked out to the west. He then stepped up on the guard rail and looked down. StarChaser tightened her grip on his armor.

"Dad what are you-!"

But before she could finish…Optimus…had already jumped. But, lucky for StarChaser, this wasn't Optimus' first time jumping off of a bridge. Optimus had accessed his grappler hook and locked it on a ledge on the guard rail and now had his heels on the pylon (leg or column) supporting the bridge.

StarChaser's optics were tightly shut and was holding onto her father's armor for dear life. Optimus just laughed as he slightly turned his head and looked at StarChaser. He chuckled and spoke gently.

"You know you can open your optics now."

StarChaser slowly opened her optics, and then looked furiously at her father.

"Why did you do that? Are you trying to scare me death?"

Again Optimus laughed. "If I was trying to scare you, I would have told you to look down."

Without even thinking, that's just what StarChaser did. She looked down. Within a sudden momentous shock, her phobia of heights hit her like a pile of bricks. They had to have been at least 30 feet high in the air, which for StarChaser, was more than enough to make her grasp her father's neck plate even more tightly.

"DAD I WANT DOWN!"

Optimus chucked and looked at StarChaser from the corner of his optic. "You know, the trick is to NEVER look down."

StarChaser slapped Optimus on the side of the head then re-secured herself. "OH, NOW YOU TELL ME, ONLY _**AFTER**_ I LOOK DOWN!"

Optimus laughed as he slowly started placing stabilizing servo after stabilizing servo as they began there descent. As soon as both of his stabilizing servos touched ground level, StarChaser melted of his back and hugged the ground like she hadn't seen it in solar cycles.

"Oh, I swear from here to Cybertron I will never leave you again!"

Optimus only laughed as he kneeled down to StarChaser's level. She looked up at him scowling.

"I don't like you right now."

Optimus grinned. "Fine, then I'll just leave you and the ground here to contemplate life together."

Optimus then hoisted himself of the ground and walked westward down the drainage ditch. StarChaser sat curiously watching him for a few moments before jumping to her stabilizing servos.

"Hey, wait for me!"

Optimus just laughed and started to sprint. StarChaser sprinted after him.

"Hey, this isn't a fair race! You got a head start! YOU'RE CHEATING!

Optimus yelled back. "It's not cheating if I get back to the base and get my barrel of oil first!"

StarChaser yelled. "Is that a bet?"

Optimus stopped and turned to look at StarChaser who finally caught up. "Alright, let's make a bet. Whoever gets back to the base first gets to drink a barrel of oil first, and the other has to sit and watch. Deal?"

StarChaser thought about it for a moment then looked up smiling with that same devilish smile Optimus had shown earlier.

"Okay, deal…first one back gets their oil first."

StarChaser watched as her father nodded his head and lowered himself to a starting position. StarChaser did the same. Optimus looked up to an overpass just above them and smiled.

"As soon as that traffic light on that overpass turns green; we go, understand?"

StarChaser nodded to show that she understood. She looked down at her stabilizing servos, and then up in the air and whispered to herself.

"_Somehow, if I can transform and get ahead of dad, then maybe I'll not only beat him home; but then maybe he'll be proud of me for learning how to transform quicker than what he thought I could_."

Just then the light turned yellow. The tension was building and moments seemed to pass like hours. Then suddenly the light flashed to green and as the traffic above started to move, the two 'bots below blared forward and the race was on.

Immediately StarChaser took the lead. Her stabilizing servos moved as fast as she could make them go. She looked forward surveying everything in front of her and analyzed all possible obstacles that could cause a problem. She then looked over her shoulder plate to observe the progress of her opponent, only to find out that he was nowhere in sight. Had he fallen behind that quick? Or was she just that fast that he couldn't catch her? She slowed down because she figured that since Optimus was so far behind, it'd be best to save her energy. But, when she slowed down…she could hear and feel a little bit of a quake deep in the ground. She looked behind her and saw a rising cloud of dust and debris speeding toward her at a phenomenal speed. She did the first thing that came to mind. Run.

As the speeding wonder got closer, it turned off onto and cement slab that worked as a ramp. The object went flying through the air over top of StarChaser and looked like a silhouette against the evening sun, but the outline looked freakishly familiar. It hit the ground hard but kept going forward, and muck to StarChaser's surprise, the thing yelled to her.

"You're going to have to have to run a lot faster if you want to beat me!"

StarChaser froze and yelled back. "DAD? HOW DID YOU DO THAT?"

Optimus came to a screeching halt and stopped allowing StarChaser to get a good look at him. He had activated the tires that were on his heels and had his axe over his shoulder. StarChaser now knew exactly what he had done.

"You! You waited until I had gotten enough of a head start so that you could activate your tires and you '_**rocket-propelled'**_ axe so that you could just zoom right past me! Dad that's cheating!"

Optimus de-activated his tires and placed his axe behind his back, and then chuckled.

"It's not cheating; it's using what resources I have."

StarChaser crossed her arms and pouted. "It's still not fair…"

Optimus walked over and kneeled down smiling. "Tell you what, how about we call this race a draw and we'll both go home and drink a barrel of oil together and watch some TV; how does that sound?"

StarChaser looked up and smiled evilly. "Okay…" She then proceeded to walk toward the base that now was in sight, but then burst into a full bore sprint. "…BUT I'M STILL GONNA BEAT YOU HOME ANYWAY!"

Optimus stood in a daze for only a slit nano-click before bursting into a sprint after StarChaser who was almost there. "YOU LITTLE, CANIVING BRAT! JUST YOU WAIT TILL I GET MY SERVOS ON YOU!"

Meanwhile back at the base, everyone was busy hauling the last of the medical supplies into the base when Bulkhead stopped and pointed.

"Hey you guys, get a load of that!"

Everyone turned to see a little red and blue femme running at her top speed toward the base, with almost a look of terror written on her face plate.

Bumblebee yelled almost laughing. "Hey Star, where's Prime?"

StarChaser threw her servos up in the air and shouted. "HE'S BEHIND ME! HE'S BEHIND ME!" Not that StarChaser really needed to point it out, because within seconds the large mech came blaring over the hill near the base in hot pursuit of his little femme.

StarChaser came to a screeching halt and stopped be grabbing on to Prowl's leg. Prowl looked down at the quivering femme. "Alright, what did you do now?"

Looking up from behind him StarChaser smiled sheepishly and talked quickly. "We were having a race see, and I was ahead but then he got a head and I tricked him into stopping and then I got a head of him and now he's gonna beat me up; gotta go, BYE!" And with that StarChaser zoomed into the base to find a good hiding place. But soon after she was gone, Optimus rushed in right behind her. Ratchet stood shaking his head and held up three fingers and started counting down, lowering a finger with each number. "Three. Two. One."

Suddenly an oil curdling scream rang through the base and there was a large crash. StarChaser ran out of the base like she was on fire and Optimus was closing in behind her. Ratchet shook his head as the other's laughed at the sight. Bumblebee looked to Ratchet laughing.

"They both kinda act like sparklings, don't they?"

Ratchet shook his head chuckling. "Only when he's got time on his servos to do such."

But Ratchet was right, ever since StarChaser had chosen to stay behind with her father; Optimus would purposely clear a day out of his busy schedule and would dedicate that day to spending it with StarChaser. StarChaser would often wish that he would do that more often, but one or two days out of every week were alright with her considering she was fully aware of how her father was a very busy mech, what with protecting this world she now called home as well as the previous one that she was born and raised on.

But, getting back to StarChaser; she had been caught by her father and was being carried back into the base over his shoulder. StarChaser didn't struggle because she knew her father was only playing, considering he was beaming with pride which was shown by a smile on his face plate. The only thing StarChaser could do was lie helplessly over his shoulder and groan.

"Dad this isn't fair. Why do you always do this?"

Optimus looked up chuckling. "Because I'm your sire, and I earned the right to do such; that's why."

StarChaser squirmed but couldn't seem to get herself free. She fell against Optimus' armor and groaned.

"Oh, and how is it you earned THAT right?"

Optimus looked over his shoulder and raised an optic ridge. "I help your creator conceive you, didn't I?"

StarChaser looked away blushing. "Yeah I guess."

Optimus picked StarChaser up off his shoulder and held her out in front of him. "Yeah you guess?"

StarChaser could only look down smiling as the heat sensors on her face plate made her blush even more. Optimus tilted his head slightly and smiled. "You know, I'm starting to feel like you're becoming more and more like me every day. But sometimes I wonder…if that's a good thing."

StarChaser looked up and saw a warm smile creep in over her sire's face plate. She smiled too as she threw her arms around him. "Oh daddy, I only wish I could be even more like you. So brave and strong, you're everything every 'bot would want to be."

StarChaser looked up into a big pair of blue optics looking down at her. "Daddy, you're my hero…" StarChaser then rested her head against his chest and whispered. "…and you always will be."

Optimus could only look down and embrace the child against his chest plate. And for a long time Optimus stood in silence, just holding his sparkling close to the spark from which part of her came. Looking down at her, he gently caressed the very familiar antenna that he too had. He watched as those gentle optics slowly closed and almost drifted away into stasis, the little hands that would always reach out for him and hold him for all eternity. Oh how he wished he could freeze this moment in time and make it last forever; but he knew that she was growing up and soon enough she would go from being that small, gentle, fun-loving sparkling to a young, beautiful, well-trained femme that could slag any Decepticon in her path. Suddenly the thoughts of his daughter suddenly faded away as he realized that the daughter in question was watching him with curious optics.

He looked down raising an optic ridge. "What?"

StarChaser shook her head as she stretched her servos out and yawned. "Nothing, you just looked like you were deep in thought."

Optimus laughed slightly as he gently put StarChaser down on the ground. "I was just thinking."

StarChaser looked away and nodded, but then turned back again suddenly. "Hey, weren't we going to go get some oil and watch TV?"

Optimus smiled as he rose from the ground. "That's right, I forgot about that."

StarChaser ran into the base. "Yeah, but the first one to the remote gets to pick the channel!"

Optimus walked quickly and yelled. "Oh, I don't think so!"

Optimus suddenly stopped and slowly turned to look behind him. StarChaser stopped too and came back. She looked up at him, worried. "Dad, are-are you okay?"

Optimus watched the evening sky in almost a trance, but then shook his head slightly. "Yeah I'm fine. I just thought I heard something."

StarChaser looked curiously at him then looked in the direction he was looking. And with StarChaser being occupied with trying to find what he was looking at, Optimus slowly walked around and was about to enter the base when StarChaser wheeled around and yelled. Optimus only laughed as he streaked into the base with StarChaser close behind.

"**DAD THAT REMOTE IS MINE!"**

CHAPTER 4

The evening was finally coming to its end and night was approaching quickly. The electric clock hit 9:00pm and so it was time for StarChaser to power down. StarChaser on the other hand didn't want to go to bed just yet, she was just getting close to surpassing Bumblebee who was stuck on level 46 of Storm Troopers XP. But Optimus had other plans for StarChaser. She was seated next to Bumblebee on the floor and was in a dune buggy racing sequence of the game. Optimus had noticed the time and rose to his stabilizing servos.

StarChaser was leaning in toward Bumblebee with her optics fixed on the television screen. "Bumblebee, you better watch out, I'm catching up!"

Bumblebee leaned in toward StarChaser pushing her back but with his optics fixed on the game as well. "Oh, I don't think so!"

Optimus then walked over and leaned down beside StarChaser. He watched the game in silence but then pulled the power cord. Both Bumblebee and StarChaser jumped up with horrified expressions on their face plates but then both passed a glance to Prowl (who had a record of pulling the plug on their video games).

Prowl shrugged his shoulders casually. "Don't look at me, I didn't do it."

Optimus then stood up still holding the cord in his hand. StarChaser looked at him shocked and angered.

"What'd you do that for? I was this close to finally beating Bumblebee!"

Optimus dropped the cord and leaned down next to StarChaser. "I told you three times that it was time to go to bed, and you chose to ignore me; besides, the game will still be there when you get up tomorrow."

StarChaser paused. Now that she thought about it she did recall her father telling her to go to bed fifteen minutes ago, and now it was 9:15 at night. She looked up and smiled sheepishly.

"But dad, I'm not tired. Can't I at least stay up a little longer and see if I can beat Bumblebee?"

Optimus looked at her with a serious set of optics. "StarChaser, what's the rule about powering down around here?"

StarChaser looked away and groaned. Optimus pulled her face back toward him and looked at her steadily. "I'm waiting."

StarChaser sighed. "The rule is that I _HAVE_ to go to bed at 9:00 because if you were to let me stay up any later, then I would get into the habit of wanting to stay up later and later."

Optimus smiled in approval. "So what is it that you're going to go do?"

Again StarChaser sighed. "I'm going to go to bed."

Optimus nodded in agreement and rose to his full height. StarChaser took one last glance at the mechs in the room before turning to go to her room.

She climbed onto her berth and laid her head down and watched as her father made last minute adjustments. He then leaned down next to StarChaser and slowly stroked her head. StarChaser closed her optics and savored the moment like she had done every night since coming here. She then looked up at Optimus yawning.

"Dad, what was Sentinel Prime talking to you about?"

Optimus froze. StarChaser looked up curiously. "Does it have something to do with me?"

Optimus looked down and sighed. "You heard us talking… didn't you?"

StarChaser nodded. "I only heard something about how you don't know if you should tell me or not. Dad, tell me about what?"

Optimus looked away rubbing the back of his neck plate. "StarChaser, please try to understand. Some things in this universe are better off being left unknown."

StarChaser sat up and cocked her head. "But dad, I want to know. I can handle it. Really, I can."

Optimus shook his head as he took his child's face into his hands. "StarChaser, I-I don't want to be the one responsible for getting your hopes up and then having it come crashing down on you and breaking your spark. Please don't ask me to be the one to do that to you, because it would almost kill me to see you get your spark broken like that."

StarChaser looked up confused. Optimus looked down shaking his head. "YOU are all that matters to me, and you've already been through more pain than any sparkling should have to bear. I WILL NOT let you get hurt like that again."

StarChaser looked down but up again as she placed a small servo on her sire's face plate. "Daddy, I won't get hurt. You can tell me, and I promise I won't get my hopes up."

Optimus smiled to himself as he gently stroked StarChaser's face. "Maybe tomorrow sweet-spark."

With that he gently kissed StarChaser on the forehead and laid her head back on the berth. Walking out of the room, Optimus flipped a main switch for the power to her room.

"Sweet dreams little one."

With the flip of that switch, darkness ascended over the room with the exception of a small ray of light coming from a crack in the door. StarChaser rolled over and stared at the ceiling just thinking.

'_Why won't dad tell me what's bothering him? Is it really that big that it would hurt me if it didn't come true? What could be SO important that it's got dad acting like this? But most of all…what does it have to do with me?'_

Poor StarChaser pondered these questions around in her processer for two hours until finally she was too tired to keep her optics open.

A little while later, just before the electric clock in the rec. room read eleven o' clock, Optimus slowly opened StarChaser's door to check on her before he himself powered down as well. Ratchet walked up behind him and looked at him curiously.

"Alright kid, what's so important that your processer looks like its 'bout ready to overheat?"

Optimus glanced over his shoulder and just shrugged. "Just stuff Ratchet; it's nothing that I can't handle."

Ratchet looked beyond Optimus to the sparkling that was sleeping. "I know about the vid-cam, and about how you're having a really hard time deciding whether to tell the little runt or not."

Optimus flinched and looked at Ratchet dumfounded. "Who told you?"

Ratchet just grinned. "I…have my sources."

Optimus smiled vaguely while looking away. "Let me guess, his name is Jazz."

Ratchet laughed slightly. "No arguing with you Prime, you're good."

Optimus smiled and laughed quietly too. Ratchet put a servo on his shoulder. "Come on, what'd 'ya say we go power down too."

Optimus nodded as he followed Ratchet away from StarChaser's room. Then all at once the master switch was flipped and everyone, including Optimus was out for the night.

The next day was miserable for any and every sentient being in the city of Detroit. The rain was falling from the sky like cats and dogs, and lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the sky. Heck, it didn't even look like morning, in all reality it looked like late evening because it was so dark.

StarChaser sat impatiently by the window watching for Sari to come and play with her today, but was growing tired of the ongoing downpour of an endless stream of rain. StarChaser watched as the wind carried endless amounts of rain across the pavement and as bright bolts of lightning flashed across the sky. StarChaser from time to time would jump at the loud and sudden crack of thunder. But still she sat as patiently as possible just waiting.

Ratchet walked past her carrying an arm's load of medical equipment. "Ah, give it up kid. Sari is not coming in weather like this, you should know that."

StarChaser turned around and stuck her "tongue" (in machine terms it's called a glossa) out at Ratchet, then turned back to the window.

Ratchet put the load down and crossed his arms. "Try that again and I'll cut your glossa right out of your mouth."

StarChaser pouted for a minute before grinning evilly to herself. She glanced over her shoulder. "Hey! Old timer!"

Ratchet turned around to protest to being called 'old timer' only to get a glossa stuck out at him again with a serious of taunts fallowing it. Ratchet growled as he bent down and picked up a large medical blade. "Alright you little runt, don't say that I didn't warn you."

Only a few minutes later, Prowl was walking in to watch his daily dose of **NATURE UNLEASHED** when a small red and blue object streaked past him only by going between his legs. He jumped to the side and watched as this mysterious thing came to a sliding halt on its aft. It was StarChaser.

Prowl stood by the edge of the hallway dumbfounded. "What do you think you're doing StarChaser?"

StarChaser turned around and jumped to her stabilizing servos. "PROWL! Thank the All-Spark it's you! Listen, have you seen my dad?"

Prowl cocked his head. "Last time I saw him, he was by the monitors. Why?"

But without answering, she was on her feet and gone leaving Prowl in a daze. "Thanks Prowl!"

Prowl just shook his head but stared dumbfounded as Ratchet walked through practically patrolling the hallway. He then stopped in front of Prowl, pounding the blade against his hand.

"Prowl, did you by any chance see the runt run through here?"

Without saying a word, Prowl pointed down the hallway. Ratchet nodded and walked in the same direction that StarChaser ran. Prowl just watched but shook his head slightly and walked to the rec. room.

"Why are things always insane around here?"

StarChaser streaked around the corner almost falling over, with Ratchet right behind her. Optimus was standing by the monitors. He turned around but flinched as the two 'bots came barreling at him. StarChaser did and almost baseball slide on her side right through Optimus' legs with Ratchet just walking to a stop a few feet in front of Optimus. StarChaser stood up behind Optimus and started talking without any spaces, literally. "'—."

Immediately Optimus closed his hand over StarChaser's mouth. "Whoa-Hey, slow down there little Blur…now…take a moment to calm down and tell me what's going on _SLOWLY_."

StarChaser took a moment for her systems to cool down before she tried speaking again. "What I said was: dad, Ratchet was going to cut my glossa out with a medical blade but I wouldn't let him so I ran and was looking for you and now I found you so tell Ratchet that her needs to leave me alone!"

Ratchet jabbed a finger at StarChaser who in turn hid behind Optimus. "Well, THAT one doesn't know how to respect her elders!"

StarChaser shot out from behind Optimus and stuck her glossa out AGAIN only to have Optimus reach down and grab it with ninja like reflexes. StarChaser squawked and tried to pull away, but Optimus had her right where he wanted her.

"Dab, I camp tawk wif ooh howding on to my glotha like thith! DAB LET GO! "

As Optimus leaned down, he pulled her by the glossa so that her face was right next to his. "No I'm not going to let go. Ratchet's right, you are not showing him or me the respect we deserve. We are older and we've earned that right."

StarChaser grumbled and looked away. Optimus glared at her. "Now, I believe you have something you want to say to Ratchet."

Optimus then let go of her glossa and pushed her toward Ratchet. StarChaser looked back at Optimus rubbing her mouth with a pleading look. Optimus ignored it and motioned toward Ratchet. "Go on."

StarChaser turned to face the red and white mech who had his arms crossed. StarChaser again looked at Optimus pleading. Optimus raised an optic ridge. "StarChaser, I'm waiting."

With a sigh, StarChaser turned back to Ratchet looking down at the floor. She shuffled her stabilizing servos as she slowly and as innocently as she could. "Ratchet, I'm sorry I stuck my glossa out at you. And I promise I'll never do it again."

And with a grin of satisfaction, Ratchet nodded and walked out of the room. StarChaser huffed to herself and looked back at Optimus. She grabbed her glossa and grinned. "I don'p like thith thing cawed difapline."

Optimus grinned to himself and made a sudden motion toward StarChaser's mouth. She flinched and fell backwards on her aft laughing. Optimus laughed too.

Suddenly Prowl came running in. "Prime, there's something on the news that you might want to see."

Optimus passed a glance to StarChaser before fallowing Prowl to the rec. room. StarChaser jumped up and fallowed the caravan to the rec. room. Ratchet, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead were already in there watching the television.

(News reporter on the television): _**"We'll now take you live to a high speed chase in the Canton Area of the business district of Detroit. Tommy, what exactly would you say is going on?"**_

(Tommy, a camera-'bot operator): _**"Well Ken, from what we can see from our camera-'bot, it's a blue and black dually pickup truck that's traveling at speeds well into the seventies, possibly eighties."**_

(News reporter): _**"Has law enforcement been able to make contact with the driver?"**_

(Tommy): _**"Uh, no Ken. As a matter of fact, no one can even see the driver, all the windows are tinted. But what we do know is this driver is traveling way too fast and on wet roads like this, hydroplaning could become a huge problem. In other words Ken, if this driver doesn't stop someone's going to get hurt."**_

Optimus stood up and looked at the others (including StarChaser). "We've got to stop this driver before he hurts someone. Bumblebee, I want to cut across I-90 and see if you can cut him off. Ratchet, you and Prowl will take highway 33 and cut through town, see if you can't get along beside him. Bulkhead, you're with me. And StarChaser –."

"I know. I know. Stay here and hold down the fort."

Optimus nodded. "Good girl. Alright Autobots, Transform and Roll out!"

Within seconds all the Autobots were in their vehicle modes and out the door into the night's rain. StarChaser watched as they passed through the bend, up the ramp, and disappeared into the streets. StarChaser shook her head and grumbled as she closed the main garage door and locked it.

"Just you wait dad, when I'm big and strong, I'll be able to kick in a few tail pipes just as good as you."

StarChaser then went to the main control council and activated all security protocols for inside and around the main doors and windows of the base.

"But, in the mean time, unlike you dad; I'm going to be awesome and just lay around the base drinking oil and playing video games."

StarChaser turned on the game council and large red letters reading NINJA NIGHTS 4X came on the screen.

"Ninja Nights 4X, here I come….PREPARE TO MEET YOUR MAKER!"

Suddenly StarChaser had a though that was out loud.

"Wait a nano-click, why am I playing video games when I could be teaching myself how to transform? The sooner I learn how to transform, the sooner I can go out on missions with the others."

StarChaser then turned off the game council and found a clear open space.

"Okay, I just have to remember what dad told me, let's see what was it."

StarChaser rubbed her head and tried to think. "Arrgh, what was it he told me!"

StarChaser suddenly had an epiphany. "Of course! I remember now! Dad had said not to rush it, especially your first transformation. He also said that it takes lots of time to learn how to transform, and that I've got all the time on Earth to learn, and once I do I'll be able to transform like any of the guys!"

StarChaser sighed and loosened her servos. "I also have to remember to relax and visualize myself transforming. Come on StarChaser, visualize yourself transforming."

StarChaser started to concentrate extremely hard. "Come on, COME ON! **TRANSFORM**!

Suddenly her parts started to move and turn, but then shot back into their original positions thus catching her off guard. She fell backwards onto the floor, she tried to get up but instead laid helplessly on the floor both exhausted and somewhat embarrassed at herself.

"Wow, it really is harder than it looks."

StarChaser sat up on the floor and looked at her hands sighing.

"Come on StarChaser, you can do this. It can't be that hard. I mean come on, dad can do it, Bee can do it, Prowl can do it they all can! Why can't you?"

StarChaser sat helplessly on the floor with her head resting on her knees, but then looked up again.

"You CAN do this; you just have to keep trying."

StarChaser again rose to her stabilizing servos and tried to transform again. But thus the same thing that happened before happened again, only this time she landed on the floor face down. She grumbled and groaned to herself. But she again got up and tried again, and again and again and again and after the tenth time was about to call it quits. But realized she was getting farther and farther with each time she tried. While on her hands and knees, she looked down at her hand and tightened it into a fist.

"I WILL NOT give up. I will make you proud dad."

She then stood up, and tried again.


	4. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Bumblebee was well onto I-90 and was close to intercepting the pickup, but it had turned off on a turning pike and now was traveling north bound. Ratchet and Prowl had almost caught up with the driver if it wouldn't have been for the fact that the driver turned into an alley and got off onto another street. Bulkhead and Prime had both been radioed about this and had split up.

Bulkhead was now in pursuit. But with a sudden and swift turn of the clutch, the driver managed to fishtail the back end of the truck and do an entire 180 degree turn around. Thus catching Bulkhead off guard, and forcing him to spin out of control into a light pole.

Again Bumblebee tried to apprehend the out of control driver, but thus suffered the same fate Bulkhead did. He was outsmarted. Bumblebee was seconds from pulling alongside the pickup when it suddenly slammed on its breaks sending Bumblebee flying forward into a dead end. Bumblebee slammed into several caution signs until finally sliding to a stop and being completely quarantined by road stoppers and traffic cones.

So then it was Ratchet's turn, but unfortunately was caught off guard by a hair-pin turn that he sort of didn't make.

Then it was Prowl's turn, but unlike the others, he had a slightly different approach. Instead of trying to catch the driver, he was going to bring the driver to him. He set up road blocks on the road that the driver was currently traveling knowing that the driver would have to stop or otherwise be seriously injured. Prowl stood in the shadows of a nearby building and waited. Soon enough, the truck came speeding around the turn just a half a mile ahead. As soon as the driver saw the quarantine on the road, the truck came to a screeching halt. Prowl jumped out of the shadows and slowly approached.

"This is the end of the line. Step out of the vehicle and put your hands where they are visible."

Then quietly as thunder boomed across the sky, a feminine voice rang out form the cab.

"I don't think so pal."

Without warning the truck went into reverse. Prowl jumped out of the way and threw a ninja star after the out of control truck. But within seconds, the truck stopped and the front grill of the truck opened and a tow line shot out catching Prowl by the arm. The cable delivered and extremely powerful shocks through Prowl's systems thus temporarily putting him in stasis lock.

As soon as Prowl's body started to fall, the truck called the cable back and hid it under the grill once again, then with another 180 degree turn around, blazed off into the stormy night.

Optimus had been radioed from Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Ratchet and Prowl (once he woke up) about the ambushes. They all reported the same thing, that apparently this driver knew what _she _was doing (yes Prowl reported the encounter of the feminine voice) and that she may prove to be more difficult to stop than first anticipated. But that wasn't going to stop Optimus.

Within a few minutes of searching, and hints from recent news broadcasts, Optimus was able to locate the truck and was in hot pursuit. Optimus was closing in and was no less than ten feet away.

"Alright, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

Optimus then accessed the main hose line under his roof.

Suddenly a feminine laugh came from the cab. "Listen big boy, you couldn't catch me even if you tried!"

Without warning, Optimus suddenly slammed on his brakes, thus letting the truck get away. Within a few seconds, several police cars raced past the idling semi-truck. Without warning back flashes of StarRacer, and the two of them on the roof that night flooded his processor. That voice. Those colors. They seem so familiar, almost as if from a dream.

Optimus slammed his accelerator to the floor trying to catch up once again, sure enough, there the truck was again, only now it was trying to lose the cops, which it did by turning into an alley that more than one police car couldn't possible squeeze through at the same time. Optimus transformed and climbed over a nearby building and jumped down the other side transforming back into a truck and landing only yards behind the truck, with great haste, he raced after it, or should I say, after her.

"STARRACER, WAIT, STOP IT'S ME OPTIMUS!"

The truck slammed on its breaks and did a 180 fishtail to turn around just before stopping. Optimus also slammed on his brakes only five yards away. There was a long awkward silence that lasted for several minutes. The only sounds that occupied the air were the sounds of the wind howling and the rain beating against their almost lifeless cabs, with the occasional crack of thunder.

Slowly and carefully, Optimus was the first to speak. "StarRacer…is that you?"

Then the truck spoke. "O-Optimus?"

Optimus transformed into his robot form as lightning split across the sky. The truck did the same. Optimus stepped back in horror and shock at what he saw, it WAS her. Every last beautiful inch of what he so vaguely remembered. The gentle curves of her blue and black armor, the sweet look of her face, but most of all, the mesmerizing trance of those blue optics with the hint of purple at their center.

Streams of rain washed down his face as lightning flashed, almost making her light up. Could it really be true, is StarRacer really standing here in front of him? He even rubbed his optics and did a double take. Yep, she was still there.

But StarRacer was having a somewhat similar reaction. There_ he_ was, after all this time, after all the searching; here he was right in front of her. Those large broad red shoulders, wide sleek chest plate, his gentle smile. Everything about him that she remembered and longed to have again. And now was here right in front of her.

Slowly StarRacer stepped forward reaching out a shaking servo. "Optimus, can it really be you?"

Carefully, StarRacer's hand rested on Optimus' face. Leaning into her touch, he smiled. "Yeah, it's me."

Without warning, StarRacer fell into Optimus' arms and almost started stuttering.

"Oh Optimus; thank the All-Spark I found you! You wouldn't believe that night I've had on this planet! First, I can't find a decent alt. mode on this rock, , then I start seeing these strange organic creatures, then, this weird liquid starts falling from this planet's atmosphere and THEN I start getting chased by these robots with weird flashing lights on their— wait a nano-click, what are YOU doing here?"

With a laugh Optimus sighed. "What'd ya mean?"

StarRacer put her hands on her hips. "_What I mean_ is why are you here and not with the Elite Guard? Do you have any idea how much I gave up to make sure you got in?"

Optimus cocked his head. "What'd ya mean 'gave up'?"

Immediately StarRacer's face changed from concerned to a look of 'oh-slag-I've-said-something-I-shouldn't-have-said'. Optimus raised an optic ridge. "StarRacer, do you have something you want to tell me?"

StarRacer laughed sheepishly. "Well, uh, Optimus…see here's the thing…um…do-do you remember that night we spent together?"

Optimus stood with his arms crossed. "Yes I do. What about it?"

StarRacer smiled vaguely. "Well here's the thing…because of that night…and because of what we, uh did, I, well, _**we**_ kind of ended up with something that—."

Optimus grinned. "You mean something like a, oh I don't know…a sparkling?"

StarRacer flinched and looked at Optimus dumbfounded. "Wait one nano-click! You knew, and you didn't even tell me?"

"I should say, that that's what I should say, but where would the fun be in that?" Optimus grinned even more.

StarRacer looked away thinking about it but looked back shaking her head and smiling. "Apparently, there's a lot I don't know about you Optimus."

Taking a step forward, and shrugging slightly, Optimus looked at StarRacer. "Well, maybe we both could use some time to get to know one another better. I mean after all, we _**DO**_ have a child together."

Optimus then gently took StarRacer's hand in his. StarRacer looked up. Optimus smiled sheepishly. StarRacer laughed as she rested her head against his chest plate.

"I think that you're right."

A few moments of sweet silence in the rain passed before a new though came to StarRacer's mind.

"Wait, Optimus how is it you know about your daughter?"

Optimus smiled and laughed slightly. "Well, it's kind of hard NOT to know about her when she lives under the same roof as me."

StarRacer stepped back slightly embarrassed. Optimus again raised an optic ridge. "By the way, you mind telling me what her finding me was all about?"

StarRacer again looked up, still embarrassed. "I'm sorry Optimus, I told our sparkling about you when she was sold enough to understand and that if anything were to happen to me, that she should try to find you."

Optimus looked away and smiled to himself. "Yeah, I probably would have done the same thing had I been in your position."

StarRacer smiled to herself before looking back at Optimus worried. "Where is the sparkling exactly?"

Optimus smiled and laughed slightly. "Well, _StarChaser_ is actually back at our base. I'll take you to her."

StarRacer flinched and looked up at Optimus shocked. "Star _Chaser_?"

Optimus laughed slightly before nodding. "We only thought that it be appropriate for her to have a name, and that was the one she chose, she said it sounded a lot like your name…that's why she liked it so much."

StarRacer looked away pondering this but soon looked back at Optimus smiling. "She may have a name that _sounds_ like mine, but at spark, she's more like you then she is me."

Optimus smiled as he looked up toward the sky. "Hey, what'd you know, the rain is stopping and the sun is coming out."

Optimus was right, the rain was finally subsiding and the evening sun shined its rays through the dark clouds. Optimus then turned back to StarRacer smiling.

"Come on, I'm sure it's getting close to five, and the others will be curious about where I am."

As Optimus started to walk away, StarRacer soon caught up. "Others? What'd you mean 'others'?"

Taking StarRacer's arm in his, he led the way. "I mean my crew; we're all stationed here on Earth."

StarRacer looked up smiling. "So you did become a Prime after all."

Optimus blushed slightly before letting go of StarRacer's arm and transformed. "Come on, it's not far from here, and I'll explain everything on the way."

With that notion, StarRacer also transformed and pulled out slightly in front of him. "Then what are we waiting for, lead the way."

Meanwhile, everyone but Prime was back at the base recuperating from their…'minor' setbacks. StarChaser on the other hand was beaming with pride and was happier than anyone had ever seen her, but whenever they asked her why she was so happy, she would just say that they'd have to wait until Optimus got back, and then they could see. StarChaser sat patiently in front of the TV but then disappeared into her room, which was weird timing because as soon as she disappeared into her room, Optimus showed up just coming into the base parking lot with the same truck from today's earlier high speed chase fallowing him in.

Ratchet was the first to say something. "Prime, have you cracked a processor? You can't bring outside humans to our new base, it's not safe!"

With a huff, the truck talked back. "And just who are you calling a human, old timer?"

Without warning, the truck transformed to reveal a beautiful young femme with black and blue armor who had crossed her arms and was looking Ratchet up and down.

"Besides, last time I checked, I was Cybertronian."

Optimus quickly transformed too and looked at all the open jawed expressions he received. All mechs looked at Optimus who in turn just shrugged. "What?"

Bumblebee pointed to the femme standing beside Optimus. "Uh, boss 'bot, who's that?"

Casually, Optimus placed his arm around the femme's waist. "Would you guys believe; my spark mate?"

Every mech (excluding Optimus of course) took a double take at the femme, and then looked back to Optimus for answers. He just sighed and motioned toward the femme. "Guys, this is StarRacer…my spark mate…and…the mother of my child." Then motioning to the guys Optimus looked at StarRacer. "StarRacer this is Ratchet, our field medic, Prowl, Bulkhead and of course Bumblebee."

Bashfully, StarRacer nodded. Optimus smiled still watching her. "We also have a techno-organic that's half human, and half Cybertronian that periodically comes here from time to time, her name is Sari Sumdac."

StarRacer turned to Optimus and asked just as impatiently as worried. "But Optimus, where is my child, where's StarChaser?"

Just then StarChaser ran out of the base like her tail pipe was on fire. "Dad! Dad! You HAVE to see what I learned how to do! I finally learned how to—."

But before StarChaser could tell Optimus about here newly found talent, she stopped abruptly in shock, horror, but most of all disbelief. It was…her mother, standing right next to Optimus. StarChaser froze in fear and slowly stepped back. Optimus looked at StarRacer who at first was overjoyed but now after seeing he daughter's reaction, looked like her spark was about ready to break. Optimus turned back to StarChaser and slowly approached.

"StarChaser it's okay, I know what you're probably thinking; but you're not imagining this. Your mother IS alive."

StarChaser slowly started to shake her head as she continued to step back. She was whispering something, but no one could quite hear her. Then without warning StarChaser wheeled around and streaked back into the base. Optimus tried to reach out and grab her by the arm but missed.

"STARCHASER COME BACK! IT'S OKAY!"

Sighing, Optimus turned back to StarRacer who stared at the ground; spark broken. "I don't understand it. I thought she would have been overjoyed to find out you're still online, but instead turns and runs."

StarRacer continues to look down. Optimus tilts his head slightly only to see a small stream of tears washing down from her optics. Optimus puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, she's just shocked. That's all. I'll go talk to her and see if I can work this out."

Turning away Optimus rushed into the base, knowing very well were StarChaser goes when she wants to hide. Quietly Optimus entered Prowl's room. Gently closing the door behind him he looked forward to the giant tree the occupied most of Prowl's floor space. Optimus' optics then wandered up the long steady trunk of the tree until his optics rested on a small red and blue sparkling sitting on one of the top limbs. Again Optimus quietly approached the tree and started climbing its long steady trunk until finally resting his stabilizing servos on a lower branch and his arms on the limb that StarChaser was on.

Trying to strike up a conversation, Optimus looked at StarChaser smiling.

"Hey, what're you doing way up here?"

StarChaser didn't speak; she only stared blankly off into the leaves that swayed back and forth in the gentle breeze from the open ceiling. Optimus sighed looking away.

"StarChaser I know this may be hard for you, but your mother IS alive and she's here right now waiting for you."

StarChaser remained quiet. Optimus then looked at her as he put a hand on hers.

"StarChaser, your mother came all this way looking for YOU, and this is how you repay her? By running off and hiding?"

StarChaser looked away with tears streaming from her optics. "That's what Sentinel Prime told you about, isn't it?"

StarChaser looked back at Optimus still crying. "He told you that mom was still alive and that she was here on Earth didn't he?"

Slowly Optimus looked down and away, more ashamed than anything else. "Yes, that is what he told me."

StarChaser looked up, hurt. "And you didn't tell me?"

Optimus looked up pleading. "StarChaser please try to understand, there was only a small chance that she was on Earth, and I didn't want you getting your hopes up, because if your mother didn't show, then you would have gotten hurt. I didn't want that to happen to you. Not again."

StarChaser looked away, still hurt. Optimus sighed as he pulled StarChaser closer to him and wrapped her in his arms.

"But none of that is important now. Your mother is here, right now, right out there on the pavement crying because she thinks that you don't care about her anymore and thinks that you think she's a ghost… but she's not little one. She's really there, and she's waiting… just for you."

StarChaser stared at her stabilizing servos before finally sliding down the trunk of the tree and waited for Optimus at the bottom. Optimus on the other hand, used his grappler hook to lower himself to ground level. Then, picking StarChaser up in his arms, Optimus proceeded to walk out of Prowl's room.

Still on the pavement, StarRacer stood there confused and hurt wondering what she had done wrong, but then Optimus emerged from the base with StarChaser in his arms. StarRacer stood still as Optimus gently put StarChaser down. StarChaser held on to Optimus, still unsure whether this was real, or just a very realistic dream. StarChaser looked at Optimus unsettlingly but Optimus nodded and motioned her to go to her mother. StarRacer kneeled down and smiled that same loving smile that she so vaguely remembered.

"There's my little girl."

Slowly a smile creped over StarChaser's face and tears started to overfill her optics. It was her! It really was her mom after all! StarChaser ran forward throwing herself into her mother's arms crying and saying over and over that she was sorry and she missed her so much.

StarChaser dug her face into her mother's chest plate and held on as tight as she could. StarRacer held her in her arms and gently rocked her and whispered sweet, comforting nothings into StarChaser's audio receptors. Streams of tears ran down both of their faces, but only StarRacer's was leaking onto StarChaser's face plate. Each one held each other, not wanting to let go.

A short distance away, Optimus stood watching the two; happy to see his child reunited with her mother. But yet, a small piece of him was envious of the fact that he would never share a kind of relationship with StarChaser that StarRacer currently shares, but then again, he had a relationship with StarChaser that StarRacer could never have. He watched quietly as StarRacer and her child as well as his sat silently just holding one another, thanking the All-Spark that the other was online.

StarChaser lay silently with her optics shut against her mother, just listening to the slow and steady beat of that oh so familiar spark. StarRacer also was silent, but sat still gently caressing her child's head. StarRacer looked up and saw that Optimus was admiring them from a distance. Slowly StarRacer raised both herself as well as the child off the ground and walked over to Optimus who didn't move, only stood there, watching. Stopping just inches in front of him, StarRacer looked down at StarChaser, then back to Optimus smiling. Optimus gently stroked StarChaser's cheek plate before looking back at StarRacer, him smiling as well. StarChaser sat in her mother's arms, watching as both her mother and father made 'goo-goo' optics at each other. StarChaser slouched in her mother's arms and sighed with a mix of relief and disgust. Both Optimus and StarRacer looked down in sync to each other to see a small sparkling staring up at them sheepishly. Optimus and StarRacer looked up at each other… laughing.

"So, I guess we're spark mates…huh?" StarRacer looked up at Optimus sheepishly.

Optimus laughed slightly while shrugging him massive shoulders. "I guess it would appear that way, considering we _DO_ have a child together."

StarChaser hit Optimus slightly on the chest plate. "Hey! I'm sitting right here!"

Both Optimus and StarRacer laughed, but StarChaser wasn't so amused. Optimus gently took StarChaser into his arms and smiled. StarRacer rested on Optimus' shoulders just watching their little StarChaser. StarChaser on the other hand lay in her father's arms, dumbfounded as to why they were both looking at her they way they were. Not that she really minded; she kind of liked getting the attention. StarRacer looked up at Optimus smiling.

"She's always looked more like you then she has me."

Optimus looked over to StarRacer. "I wouldn't say that, after all, she has your optics."

Carefully Optimus lowered StarChaser to the ground and onto her stabilizing servos. As soon as she met ground level, she ran to her mother, thus taking her by the hand.

"Come on mom, I'll show you around."

StarChaser drug StarRacer forward a few steps before letting go and running ahead of her and shouting back from the main door of the base.

"COME ON MOM!"

StarRacer looked at Optimus who stood there shaking his head laughing. StarRacer then reached out a servo and took Optimus by the hand. Optimus looked up unsure, but soon smiled and nodded in agreement and then tightened his grip on her hand. StarChaser ran back outside and yelled again.

"COOOMMMMMEE OOOONNNNN! YOU GUYS ARE SO SLOW!"

Optimus laughed again as he lead StarRacer into the base, right by his side, with little StarChaser leading the way.

StarRacer was shown every square inch of cement, brick, lumber and metal that made up what had come to be known as the Autobot base here on the planet Earth. She'd also been shown what T.V, videogames and music were. She'd also been 'de-briefed' on their current mission on Earth by Optimus but wasn't told about Megatron until StarChaser had blurted something out about how a few years ago Optimus had saved her from the clutches of Megatron and that he's fought him on more than one occasion. That was StarChaser's first mistake, her second was telling her mother about the time she was actually _**KIDNAPPED**_ by Megatron himself and that it was Optimus who came to her rescue and that her right stabilizing servo was badly damaged but Ratchet fixed it up and then Chromia chewed Optimus' aft for letting her get hurt like that.

StarRacer was speechless. Optimus passed a 'DON'T-TELL-YOUR-MOTHER-ABOUT-THAT!' look, but soon he received a 'Optimus-we-need-to-have-a-_**long**_-talk' look from StarRacer. StarRacer sat there, arms crossed and fingers tapping on her arm. Her optics were defiantly sending a non-pleased message.

Optimus glared at StarChaser who was sitting worry-free on the floor. StarChaser looked behind her then back at Optimus. "What? What did I do?"

Optimus shook his head. "You just HAD to tell her, didn't you?"

StarChaser smiled sheepishly. "My bad, dad, it just kinda sorta slipped out."

Optimus shook his head and was about to say something when StarRacer grabbed his antenna and pulled. That being his weak spot, he bent over trying to relive the tension of StarRacer pulling on it. StarRacer pulled his antenna until his entire mass was down to her level.

"Now you listen here _**'Prime' **_it's a good thing she told me now rather than later otherwise I'd be even more angry then I already am!"

Bumblebee leaned over to Bulkhead who was standing next to him and whispered. "Wow, I've never seen the boss 'bot get mech-handled like that, it's actually kind of funny."

StarRacer turned to Bumblebee and glared. "It's **Bumblebee**, right?"

Bumblebee slowly swallowed hard and nodded. StarRacer pointed to him and continued to hold Optimus by the antenna. "Unless you want a piece of this too…" she motioned toward Optimus. "I suggest you keep your audio possessor shut."

With no more delay, StarRacer literally pulled the complaining and whining Prime into a more, private room as to discuss other things she not yet knows about.

As soon as she and Optimus were gone, everyone looked at StarChaser dumbfounded. StarChaser looked at them and then did a quick double take at their expressions.

She cocked her head to the side. "What?"

Prowl looked at her, then to the room that Optimus and StarRacer were currently in. "How is it, you can co-exist with _**THAT**_?"

StarChaser turned around and looked at the door, then back at Prowl. "Actually, she's really easy to live with; you just never want to make her mad."

Suddenly and almost feminine/mechly scream rained through the base catching everyone off guard. Bumblebee jumped and looked at the door that Optimus and StarRacer were behind.

Looking at Ratchet, Bumblebee gasped. "Was that StarRacer?"

Almost half laughing, and half worried; Ratchet looked at the door horrified. "Actually…I-I think…that…that was Prime."

StarChaser almost burst into tears laughing. "I never knew my dad screamed like a girl!"

Shortly after StarChaser's laughter subsided, the door opened and StarRacer came out with a smug grin of satisfaction on her face plate. She looked down at StarChaser who was on the floor and smiled and rubbed her head before walking out of the base. Then Optimus came out with a look of defeat and humiliation. That and he had a slight limp to his step. Ratchet watched as he hobbled across the room and sank onto the couch. Ratchet then walked over and sat beside him with the others (including StarChaser) crowding around. Optimus looked up then down, still humiliated. Ratchet looked at him and as seriously as possible asked.

"Prime, what happened?"

He was silent for a long time before the heat sensors in his face plates started to heat up. "Ratchet, I learned a valuable lesson this evening."

Ratchet cocked his head. "Oh, and what's that?"

Optimus looked up to face all pairs of optics watching him. "Never, make a femme with an electrically charged whip angry, especially if your aft is in the line of fire."

For a moment everyone was quiet, mostly because they all (except Optimus, who now slouched further down on the couch) were fighting the urge to burst out laughing. Ratchet cleared his vocalize before trying to speak.

"So I'm guessing you two aren't hiding any more secrets?" Ratchet was starting to crack.

Optimus looked up, annoyed with his crew's need to laugh. "No, not unless I want my aft electrocuted again."

That one sentence did it. None of them could hold it in any longer, and all five bots standing around him burst into an uproar of laughter. Optimus put his head down into his hands and groaned.

"Go ahead guys; laugh it up while you still can. But remember this, when one of you makes her angry, and you get whipped in the aft, don't blame me if _**I**_ start laughing."

Prowl looked at Optimus, still laughing. "Hey Prime, she's not our spark mate…she's yours."

Bumblebee looked at Prowl, he too still laughing. "Hey Prowl, I don't know that you can even call him Prime anymore, because it seems to me that it's not going to be the boss bot anymore…you know considering he's got someone bossing **HIM** around now!"

Everyone continued to laugh until Optimus abruptly rose to his stabilizing servos and stared down everyone who had been laughing.

"_**No one**_ is taking **my** place…not even StarRacer, and if she thinks she can boss me around, she's got another thing coming."

Optimus then stormed out of the room and down the hall to the monitor room. Everyone else sat in a daze wondering if they had said the wrong things. StarChaser (being the only one who was _NOT_ laughing) only sat there looking at Bumblebee with a disapproving glance, and shaking her head. Optimus then again stormed through the recreation room and then outside. Suddenly StarChaser got an extremely sick feeling roll through her fuel tank. Dad was mad, and when he's mad; no telling what will happen.

StarRacer stood at the edge of the pavement watching the sun set. Optimus stormed out of the base, enraged and heading straight for StarRacer. She turned to see Optimus approaching, but kept a steady look of triumph on her face plate.

"Well hello Optimus, what can I do for you?"

Optimus glared and jabbed a finger into her chest plate. "Don't you 'well hello Optimus' me! You openly mocked me in front of my crew and made me a laughing stock!"

StarRacer smiled. "Well, technically you weren't in front of them; you were behind a closed door. And you made a fool out of yourself by screaming like a femme."

Optimus cringed and grinded his teeth angrily. "First of all, being behind a closed door makes no difference what's so ever and second, I DO NOT SCREAM LIKE A FEMME!"

StarRacer smiled looking away. "You do too scream like a femme, and your own daughter would agree with me."

Optimus looks down rubbing his optics and sighing. "Look we're getting off subject here, StarRacer…I don't want you openly humiliating me in front of my crew, it then causes them to think that they don't have to take orders, and as Prime I have earned that right!"

StarRacer looks away rolling her optics. "Okay Mr. Macho Mech, I won't openly hit you on the aft in front of your team; happy?"

Optimus crosses his arms glaring at StarRacer. "Not quite. You see StarRacer, here's the thing…we need to establish some ground rules."

StarRacer looks up with her hands on her hips. "Ground rules?"

Optimus continues. "Rule number one: no more mocking me in front of my crew."

Again StarRacer openly rolls her optics. "I think we've already established that one big boy."

Optimus glares blankly but soon continues again. "Rule number two: You have no more rights than any of the other bots in this base, therefore, you will be taking orders for the designated Prime, A.K.A; me."

StarRacer glares. "WHAT?"

Optimus ignores her and continues. "The _only_ thing on this base that you will have half control of is StarChaser, everything else involving local crime, searches for fragments, and ongoing battles with the Decepticons will be MY responsibility. In other words, when it comes to StarChaser we are equals, anything else; I am in charge. Understand?"

StarRacer looked up glaring. "_**FINE**_. But as long as we're laying out the ground rules, I'd like to throw in a few myself."

Optimus cocked his head. "What?"

StarRacer jabbed a finger into Optimus' chest plate. "Rule number three: as long as we live on this rock together, we work together for StarChaser's sake. She's still as much my daughter as she is yours and because of that we have to at least try to make things work between us."

Again Optimus cocked his head. "Meaning?"

StarRacer crossed her arms. "_Meaning_ the whole works. You know being together on decisions for StarChaser, doing things together with her; basic stuff that a _**FAMILY**_ would do."

Optimus crossed his arms and rolled his optics sarcastically. "_Anything else_?"

StarRacer glared. "Yeah, and it wouldn't kill you to try and make time for me once and I while considering WE ARE spark mates! That means you'll have to put aside those male pride lines of code and maybe…oh I don't know, cuddle or possibly other things."

Optimus again rolled his optics. "Like what?"

StarRacer immediately grabbed Optimus by the chest plate and pulled him in close, so close that his lips were merely centimeters away from hers. Then StarRacer whispered as she looked up into a shocked pair of optics.

"Oh, I don't know maybe something like this."

Slowly StarRacer rested her lips among his making Optimus' optics widen suddenly. But soon they drifted shut and Optimus embraced StarRacer in his arms and lifted her off the ground. She squealed slightly, with her optics flying open. But soon, hers too drifted shut, and she embraced Optimus in her arms.

StarChaser had been watching the whole argument from the window with Bumblebee and Bulkhead right behind her. She was afraid that by her parents fighting, one of two things would happen. Either the fight would get so bad and her mother would leave again, leaving her alone with her dad **or** her dad would get mad and MAKE her mother leave, and her mother would take her with her and she would never see her dad again. But when her mother and father started kissing and holding each other out on the pavement, both the sense of relief and disgust overwhelmed her. She couldn't help but turn away holding her hands over her own optics and sticking out her glossa in disgust. In her mind that had to have been the most disgusting thing she had ever seen! Bumblebee and Bulkhead on the other hand just laughed and pointed at both the sight of Optimus kissing StarRacer and the sight of StarChaser cringing at the sight of seeing Optimus and StarRacer kiss. To them, it was hilarious. With the loud laughter coming from the rec. room, Ratchet and Prowl were forced to investigate only to see the sight of Optimus and StarRacer. Prowl laughed slightly, but Ratchet looked down shaking his head.

"Young bots, they never know when to find a **more** private time and place to show affection."

Bumblebee, Bulkhead and yes even Prowl started laughing harder. But poor StarChaser was starting to turn red in the face plate from all the embarrassment. Ratchet noticed her sudden change in color and smiled as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"You feel like you're embarrassed? Wait until both your mother and father find out that we were all watching…then we'll see how many shades of red their faceplates will turn."

StarChaser turned away smiling and giggling to herself. Ratchet was right and she could just see the look on her sire's face now. That alone was enough to make her burst out laughing hysterically. But StarChaser couldn't wait for them to stop; she wanted to see their faces now. StarChaser raced out of the base and immediately started laughing. Optimus Immediately turned his head and let go of StarRacer with a slight push. StarRacer looked at him; hurt, but soon realized why he let go. StarRacer smiled sheepishly turning away with embarrassment and Optimus stood there shocked, horrified and also embarrassed. StarChaser stood there, arms crossed, with an evil 'HA-I-caught-you-two-doing-something-naughty' look. StarChaser shook her head laughing. Optimus and StarRacer stood there dumfounded until StarRacer looked up and nudged Optimus in the side. Optimus looked up to see all of his troops standing in the door way of the base with the same evil expressions on their face plates. Optimus looked down and away with his face plate turning bright red, almost the same shade as his armor. StarRacer watched him, almost laughing herself, until finally slinking past StarChaser and then pass the guys into the base. Watching StarRacer leave, all the guys and StarChaser turned their attention back to Optimus who stood there with a dumbfounded expression. Optimus stood there rubbing the back of his neck plate.

Optimus smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders.

"What?"


	5. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

As the night progressed, it almost seemed to pass by rather quickly. StarChaser was so overwhelmed with joy that her mother was alive, that she never left her side; not once. Not that StarRacer really minded; for all she cared, StarChaser could stay by her for all eternity. But Optimus, that was a different story. Watching StarChaser interact with her mother was nice to see, but there was still a part of him wanting StarChaser to be that way with him. In other words, he was becoming quite jealous over the fact that at this point, StarChaser wanted to be with her mother more than him. But Optimus didn't want StarRacer knowing this, so instead he watched and smiled.

Within a short time period, the clock read nine o' clock; StarChaser's curfew.

Optimus looked at StarChaser smiling.

"StarChaser, I think that it's time you go power-down."

StarChaser looked up at her mother, and then turned to Optimus with pleading optics.

"Oh dad, can't I stay up for at least a half a megacycle more? Please?"

Optimus crossed his arms and raised and optic ridge. "StarChaser, you know the rules."

StarChaser pleaded and whined. "But dad!"

Optimus looked down almost growling. "StarChaser, do not argue with me."

StarChaser turned and looked up at her mother. "Mom, do I _HAVE_ to go to bed?"

StarRacer looked over at Optimus who stood glaring at StarChaser. Sighing, StarRacer looked down at the begging face of her child.

"Sweet-spark, if it was up to me, I'd let you stay awake for just one more measly half a megacycle, but if your father says that it's time to power-down then I guess I have to agree with him."

StarChaser looked up shocked and almost hurt. "But mom, I want to stay up to be with you!"

StarRacer laughed as she embraced StarChaser in a hug. "I'll still be here in the morning, and once you get up, then you can show me around the city…how does that sound?"

StarChaser mumbled something to herself but soon looked up smiling. But then she passed a disapproving glare to Optimus, and then looked back to her mother smiling again.

"Mom, will you tuck me in?"

StarRacer looked to Optimus who looked away and shrugged. StarRacer turned back to StarChaser. "What about your father?"

StarChaser shrugged. "He tucks me in _every_ night; I want you to do it tonight."

StarRacer turned to look at Optimus only to see an empty space, and the base door open. StarRacer turned back to StarChaser with a forced smile.

"Okay, let's go tuck you in."

A short time later, StarChaser was as happy as a clam on her berth with her mother situating her so that she was happy and comfortable. StarRacer was doing the finally touches when she looked at StarChaser out of the corner of her optic.

"You didn't have to do that you know."

StarChaser sat up and cocked her head. "What'd you mean?"

StarRacer sat down on the end of the berth and looked at StarChaser. "I mean what you did to your father."

StarChaser looked away, and then turned back dumbfounded. "What did I do?"

StarRacer slid closer to StarChaser and took her up into her arms. "You hurt him StarChaser. You hurt him very badly. And maybe it's partly my fault, but I'm still no excuse for what you did."

StarChaser looked up hurt and still confused. "I don't understand mom, what did I do?"

StarRacer sighed and looked away. "By you saying what you said; you know the whole thing about how your father tucking you in _every_ night, well the way you said it almost made it sound like you **don't** like being tucked in by your father, and I think that's the way he interpreted it too. StarChaser…I really think you may have hurt you father's feelings. That and I think your father has a severe case of jealousy and you wanting me to tuck you in only made things worse."

StarChaser looked down and whimpered. "You mean… I _**hurt**_ dad's feelings?"

StarRacer nodded but smiled gently. "But don't worry, I'll talk to your dad…I'm sure he didn't take it _**that**_ hard."

StarRacer laid StarChaser down on her berth. "I'll see you in the morning sweet-spark."

StarRacer then kissed her on the forehead. "Good night."

StarChaser looked up smiling sheepishly. "Good night mom."

StarRacer quietly exited the room shutting off the light and closing the door. The room seemed so dark and eerie. She liked it better when her father left a crack in the door to let in the light. Now that she thought about it, there was something about having her father tucking her in at night that always gave her a sense of security. Tonight she didn't have that feeling.

StarRacer walked out onto the pavement to see Optimus standing proudly just watching the stars. Sighing, she quietly walked over and stood by Optimus' side glancing up to see the same alien stars he was looking at.

"She didn't mean it you know."

Optimus turned a glance to StarRacer, then back to the stars. "What'd you mean?"

StarRacer looked at Optimus, frowning sorrowfully. "I mean, that StarChaser didn't mean to exclude you like that."

Optimus' optics passed from one star to another. "I know."

StarRacer leaned closer. "You mean to tell me that you're not offended?"

Optimus shrugged his shoulders and watched a distant satellite in orbit. "She wanted her mother, and after all this time of thinking that you were dead, I can't say as that I blame her."

StarRacer was quiet as she looked away, and then up at the stars again. Optimus looked down at the ground for a moment before turning to StarRacer.

"Where were you anyway? Why didn't you come back for StarChaser earlier?"

StarRacer looked at Optimus but soon turned away. "You heard the stories and rumors about what happened to me; right…about how I went back into a burning structure to save a little femme?"

Optimus nodded.

"Well, when I went back in, there was no femme…at least, not a child anyway."

Optimus cocked his head as StarRacer looked down. "It was a Decepticon, who had set the fire as a means of luring the Elite Guard, but they settled for me instead. The staged my death and held me captive hoping to get information out of me considering they looked up my records including the information of past education I've received."

Optimus looked at StarRacer; puzzled. "But I still don't understand, why were they holding you hostage, and how did you get out?"

StarRacer shrugged. "I guess they thought I would prove to be useful. But when I escaped by overloading their security protocols, they broadcasted a bulletin to their followers to retrieve me alive. That's why I hid and didn't go looking for StarChaser right away; I was trying to protect her from the Decepticons. That's why I sent the message to Chromia pretending to be an Elite Guard member delivering the message of my death. After that, well…you get the idea."

Optimus looked up. "So you waited until the heat was off to come looking for StarChaser?"

StarRacer nodded. "But what I didn't know was that I would not only find my child…but the mech that helped me create that child."

StarRacer rested her head against his chest plate and embraced him. "Optimus, you have no idea what I've been through."

Optimus stood motionless, before finally embracing StarRacer back. "You don't have to worry, it's all over, and you're safe now; you and StarChaser."

StarRacer smiled as she looked up at the big mech. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

Optimus smiled as he held her in his arms. "And you have no idea how much I've missed you."

StarRacer smiled as she rubbed her face plate against the large mech's. They had a quiet moment to themselves before Optimus looked up sheepishly.

"So StarChaser doesn't hate me?"

StarRacer laughed as she moved aside. "No, so maybe you better go in and check on her."

Optimus nodded as he moved past StarRacer and into the base. StarRacer turned back and looked at the stars; smiling.

Gently Optimus opened the door and looked inside to see StarChaser's face asleep. He quietly walked in and kneeled down next to the child and caressed her head.

StarChaser slowly woke up and looked up whispering. "Daddy?"

Optimus smiled and nodded as he whispered back. "Yeah, it's me."

StarChaser looked down. "Daddy, I'm sorry I said that I didn't want you to tuck me in."

Optimus laughed quietly to himself. "Don't worry about it. Listen you should go back into stasis, okay?"

StarChaser slowly nodded as her optics began to drift shut again. Optimus smiled to himself as he gently kissed StarChaser on the cheek plate. As he was getting up StarChaser opened her optics.

"Daddy…"

Optimus turned around. StarChaser smiled. "…I love you."

Optimus smiled triumphantly to himself. "I love you too sweet-spark, now go to sleep."

StarChaser's optics again slowly drifted shut, but this time stayed shut. Optimus quietly closed the door. By now it was almost midnight, and the day had been too long. In other words, Optimus was about ready to pass out himself. All the others were already in their rooms and in stasis lock, all except for him and StarRacer. Optimus walked back outside to find StarRacer in the same spot he left her in. She turned around and smiled.

"Is she in stasis?"

Optimus smiled back. "Sleeping like a newborn sparkling."

StarRacer laughed. "I guess we should do the same. Huh?"

Optimus looked down and nodded. StarRacer smiled while looking away. "Well, I guess I better go make myself comfortable on the couch."

StarRacer started to walk away toward the base. Optimus was silent for a minute until he cursed to himself and swung around.

"StarRacer wait!"

StarRacer stopped and turned to Optimus. "Yes?"

Optimus shyly started walking forward rubbing the back of his neck plate. "I—I was wondering…if maybe, you know since we're…spark mates…maybe you would…I don't know; want to… share my berth with me?"

StarRacer smiled as she walked the rest of the way toward Optimus, stopping just inches in front of him.

"In other words, you're asking me if I'll; in human terms, 'go to bed with you'.

Optimus shrugged. "I mean you don't have to, I guess I'm just—."

StarRacer covered his mouth and laughed quietly. "I think that that's a wonderful idea."

StarRacer turned her head to the side and smiled mischievously.

"But no funny business; I don't want to wake up in the morning and find you with your servos around me and your interface rod were it doesn't belong."

StarRacer gently tapped Optimus on the grill just above his waist and walked away laughing quietly to herself.

"The last thing I need right now is another sparkling."

Optimus stood there with a mix of emotions; mostly shock, embarrassment, awe, but above all… …_**horror**_ at the thought of another sparkling. He thought for a minute before shaking his head clear of those thoughts and running in the base after his femme.

Morning had finally come, and StarChaser was bright opticed and ready to do what her mother said they would do yesterday: go look around Detroit. StarChaser promised herself she was going to show her mom all the highlights; central park, lake Michigan, Sumdac Tower, the docks, BurgerBot, you know the works. That and she wanted to introduce her mom to Sari and Professor Sumdac.

StarChaser paced the rec. room waiting for her mother and father to get up but was becoming impatient.

"Ratchet, when are my mom and dad going to get up?"

Ratchets as well as the others were already awake and going about their daily routines. Ratchet looked down at the sparkling and shrugged.

"I don't know kid. It could be in just a few nano-clicks; it could be in a few mega-cycles, I don't know."

StarChaser groaned. "Well, they better get up soon or they'll be in trouble."

Prowl leaned over and whispered something in Ratchet's audio receptor making him laugh.

"They better not be or they WILL get in trouble."

StarChaser cocked her head. "What?"

Prowl and Ratchet looked at each other and walked away laughing. StarChaser sat there dumbfounded for only a few seconds before deciding she was going to go investigate.

Now, since this was a new base Optimus' room is slightly different from his other one. This one actually had windows so light could easily be seen. It's true, he still had his mirror and hubcaps and such, but somehow his new room seemed more open and warm.

StarChaser quietly opened the door and slowly peered inside, and there at the other side of the room, her sire's berth rested (short side against the wall) with both her sire and creator sleeping. StarChaser shook her head and stuck out her glossa in disgust. Gently closing the door behind her, she snuck into the room. Slinking over to her mother's side of the berth, she slowly looked up over the edge. Sure enough both WERE deep in stasis. StarChaser shook her head and scowled at the fact that her father was nuzzling into her mother's neck plate, and her mother was smiling. StarChaser didn't like it, and was going to end it.

"MOM! DAD! IT'S TIME TO GET UP!"

A few moments passed, but both remained still. StarChaser stomped and yelled again.

"MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM, **MOM****!" **

StarRacer forcefully opened one of her optics to see her daughter right next to her face, pouting.

Yawning, she whispered. "What is it sweet-spark?"

StarChaser crossed her arms and pouted more. "You said that we were going to go look around Detroit today!"

Again StarRacer yawned before shutting her optic and cuddling closer to Optimus. "Can it wait just a little while longer?"

StarChaser stomped and pouted. Then she started yelling 'mom' again trying to get StarRacer's attention. With his optics still closed, Optimus leaned in closer to StarRacer's audio receptor.

"_**Your **_daughter is calling you."

StarRacer groaned with her optics still closed. "Before this planet's sun rises, she's **YOUR** daughter."

StarChaser then jumped on the berth and on top of her mother.

"YOU PROMISED."

Looking up out of the corner of her optic, she sighed. "Alright, alright I'm up."

Smiling in triumph, StarChaser ran out the door. StarRacer sat up rubbing her optics mumbling and cursing to herself. Optimus (still lying down with his optics closed) just laughed to himself until StarRacer grabbed him by the antenna. Optimus yelped as StarRacer drug him off the berth.

"What are you doing? It's not me she wants, it's you!"

StarRacer groaned. "If I have to get up, so do you."

Within moments, a very delighted sparkling galloped through the rec. room with a not so enthused couple trailing behind, both looking as if they've gotten up on the wrong side of the berth. StarChaser wielded around to her parents.

"Hey mom, is dad coming too?"

StarRacer looked to Optimus raising an optic ridge. "I don't know, is he?"

Optimus shrugged. "I can go if you wish me to."

StarChaser giggled in delight as she ran out of the base. "Aright then come on!"

With an in sync sigh, both Optimus and StarRacer followed the sparkling. StarRacer leaned over to Optimus mumbling.

"This is going to be a long day, isn't it?"

Optimus groaned. "You have no idea…"

Just hours from that moment, the strange trio was passing through central park. Optimus new that they were receiving strange, and awe stricken glances from passing humans and _**their**_ families but StarChaser and his spark-mate didn't notice so he chose to ignore it.

StarChaser had shown her mother everything she said she would and more. Now they were passing through central park on their way back to the base. Optimus casually watched StarRacer as her optics carried her from object to object; every glance showing her a new texture, color, and pattern until her optics detected someone watching her. She looked toward Optimus who quickly turned away and looked at a group of human children playing a few yards away. StarRacer smiled to herself as she looked ahead to the sparkling skipping along the trail.

"So those strange vehicles chasing me yesterday weren't robots?"

Optimus laughed quietly to himself. "No, they were humans operating the machines. They thought you were one of their own breaking their laws."

StarRacer nodded. "I see, and you say that they are the dominate species on this planet?"

Again Optimus laughed. "Yeah, all 6 billion of them."

StarRacer looked up in awe. "Wow, that's a lot of humans."

Optimus sighed. "Yeah, I guess it is, isn't it?"

StarRacer was quiet before looking on. "So what's with all the green on this planet anyway?"

Optimus laughed, a little louder this time. "You'd have to ask Prowl about that one."

StarRacer laughed. "True as that may be; I don't see Prowl around and I want an answer."

Optimus looked up and around smiling. "Well, the best way I can explain it from how Sari explained it to me, is that the entire planet that we are on now, is alive."

StarRacer looked at Optimus dumbfounded. "What?"

Optimus smiled. "It's true. Everything green around you…is alive. They're living organisms that use a substance called water and light to grow. The humans call them plants."

Optimus then pointed to a nearby Oak tree that was even taller than her was. "That there is even a plant. The humans call them trees. And apparently there are several different types and species of them."

StarRacer looked at Optimus smiling. "You know a lot about this planet, don't you?"

Optimus looked away shrugging. "I don't know that much, just what I remember Sari telling me."

StarRacer smiled as she looked down lifting a stabilizing servo. "What about this green stuff under us?"

Optimus chuckled. "The humans call that stuff grass."

StarRacer looked down and slowly ran her stabilizing servo across it. She smiled and laughed to herself.

"I guess everywhere you look on this planet, there's some source of life."

Optimus laughed. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

StarRacer and Optimus stopped and watched as StarChaser threw herself into the grass and laughed hysterically in pleasure.

StarRacer looked down almost frowning to herself. "It's too bad that Cybertron doesn't have life like this."

Optimus was silent until StarRacer gasped in awe. "What are _those_?"

StarRacer slowly approached a nearby apple tree that was just filled out into a full blossom. Optimus laughed. "That's a tree too."

StarRacer shook her head as she carefully took some blossoms into her hand. "Not THAT, These, …these white and pink objects on the trees."

Optimus strolled up beside StarRacer and carefully examined the tree. "Humans call them flowers, they are the reproductive system of a plant, you know so that they can grow back from stellar cycle to stellar cycle."

StarRacer looked at Optimus dumbfounded, but curiously turned back to the tree. "They're so …beautiful."

Optimus laughed and smiled sheepishly. "Yes, that is true…but you know what, they smell good as well. It's a unique scent, unlike anything you'll ever find on Cybertron."

StarRacer was silent for a moment before raising the blossoms up to her factory sensors. She paused and smiled in utter delight.

"Oh Optimus, you're right. They _DO_ smell wonderful."

Optimus smiled in agreement and satisfaction. StarRacer pulled back and walked away slowly letting the blossoms slowly drift out of her hand.

"I wish we had something like those back on Cybertron, then maybe everything wouldn't look so…gray."

Optimus sighed but smiled shaking his head. "Nothing like this could ever survive on Cybertron. Trees like this need soil, water, carbon dioxide and light. Cybertron **maybe** has light and carbon dioxide but none of its other necessities."

StarRacer sighed. "I know, it was just wishful thinking…that's all."

Optimus looked away and sighed trying to think of something else. "StarChaser looks happy, doesn't she?"

StarRacer smiled as she looked forward toward a wondering sparkling chasing a butterfly.

"Yes she does, but what is that thing she's chasing?"

Optimus laughed even harder as StarChaser fell backwards in a failed attempt to apprehend her prey.

"It's called a butterfly. They're yet one of the millions of creatures that share this planet with the humans."

StarRacer looked at Optimus; worried.

"It's not…dangerous…is it?"

Again Optimus laughed as he shook his head. "No, not at all, in fact; it's probably one of the least dangerous creatures on this planet."

Just then StarChaser ran up cradling the tiny blue and purple butterfly in her hands, being careful as to not to damage the fragile wings.

"Momma, momma look what I caught!"

The butterfly was no more than a tiny blip of color in StarChaser's servos, but it was visible. Its small fragile wings opened and closed revealing its vibrant shades of blue and purple.

"Oh sweet-spark, it's beautiful."

StarRacer kneeled down and examined the strange creature, but then noticed that StarChaser had it trapped by its tiny legs.

StarChaser's smile got even bigger. "It's really pretty, isn't it momma?"

StarRacer looked up smiling sheepishly. "It is very pretty, but don't you think you should let it go?"

StarChaser looked up in shock. "Let it go? Why would I let it go after how hard I had to work to catch it?"

Optimus knelt down beside StarRacer and looked at the butterfly then at StarRacer. StarRacer sighed before looking at StarChaser smiling.

"Think of it this way sweet-spark, what if you were in that creatures position; trapped? Wouldn't you want to be let free so that you could go back to your home?"

StarChaser thought about it for a moment before sighing and releasing the butterfly. But instead of it just flying away at its first chance, it just sat in her palm. Then it flew up and landed on her face plate making StarChaser laugh; and then… it flew away.

StarRacer sat herself down in the grass and took StarChaser into her arms. "You did the right thing sweetie."

StarChaser looked up and smiled at both her mother and father who were intently watching her. Optimus looked to StarRacer and smiled. "I think we better be heading back to the base, it's gotta be getting close to noon."

StarRacer nodded and smiled in agreement. Putting StarChaser down, StarRacer rose to her stabilizing servos (with Optimus' help) and all three again started for the base. StarChaser again streaked out ahead of them doing the same thing she was before and again Optimus quietly but happily trotted alongside his mate. But unlike before, Optimus gently took StarRacer's hand in his. StarRacer looked down then back up at Optimus in surprise, but Optimus looked forward toward StarChaser just smiling to himself. StarRacer shook her head and laughed as she gently rested against Optimus' shoulder. Optimus looked at her: shocked, but soon again smiled to himself.

StarRacer then suddenly pulled Optimus down and kissed him on the cheek plate making him jump. "Hey, what was that for?"

StarRacer smiled as she looked away trying to act innocent. "Do _what_ for?"

Optimus smiled evilly to himself as he turned his head away slightly. "What did you do _this_ for?"

Optimus then leaned down slightly to match StarRacer's height and kissed _**her**_ on the cheek.

StarRacer blushed and turned away not saying a word and held the spot where Optimus kissed her. Optimus laughed to himself as he took his hand away from holding StarRacer's hand to holding StarRacer around the waist.

StarRacer looked up with a mischievous grin on her face plate. Optimus wasn't quite sure what it meant. StarRacer then wrapped an arm around his waist and cuddled closer as they walked beside each other. StarRacer's hand rested just below Optimus' strobe lights, but then her hand started to move lower and lower and lower….then Optimus yelled as he jumped and wheeled around pointing to StarRacer.

"**HEY**, ABSOLUTLY **NO** AFT GRABBING!"

StarRacer laughed and shook her head. Optimus stood there arms crossed tapping his stabilizing servo. StarRacer walked up to Optimus and put her face right next to his.

"What's the matter Optimus, has it been so long that you haven't been with me, that you're not so sure you want to tangle with me?"

StarRacer moved closer and Optimus moved back. "Or is it because you're afraid of me?"

Optimus stepped back scowling. "You know, this whole flirting thing you've got going here really isn't a good idea StarRacer."

StarRacer pins Optimus against a nearby wall. "Oh and why is that?"

Optimus points to StarChaser, who's standing only a few yards away with her head cocked and a dumfounded expression on her face plate. "That's why."

StarRacer turned and saw StarChaser with a horrified expression. StarChaser looked at both her mom and dad, and then asked. "Mom. Dad. What are you two doing?"

Optimus gently pushed StarRacer back. "Uh, we're not doing anything…just _playing_."

StarRacer mumbled quietly to herself. "_And that's all it ever will be at this rate_."

She then passed a glance to Optimus thus putting pressure on him. Optimus had two pairs of optics watching him, one pair wondering **'what-in-the-name-of-Cyberton'** he thought her was doing and the other wanting something from him. Being in an awkward position like this made poor Optimus feel uneasy.

Then out of nowhere a voice rang out from Optimus' comm. link; it was Ratchet.

'_**Prime where are you currently located?'**_

Optimus opened his end of the link and spoke. "My current position is at the Detroit Central Park, why?"

'_**I'll give you a hint; he has a terrible accent and uses highly explosive arrowheads to break into bank vaults all over this city. And if you are at central park, then you're the closest.'**_

Optimus nods then passes a glance to the girls. "Copy that Ratchet; I'm on my way to intercept now."

The comm. link closed and there was an awkward moment of silence before Optimus looked down at StarChaser.

"StarChaser, do you remember the way back home?"

StarChaser nodded and smiled. Optimus nodded too. "Good, then I need you to take your mother home while**I** take care of the Angry Archer. Do you think you can handle that?"

StarChaser nodded and took her mother by the hand. "Come on mom, let's go home."

StarRacer passed a 'you-may-have-gotten-away-from-me-**this**-time-but-next-time-you-won't-be-so-lucky' look; then proceeded to walk away with StarChaser's hand in hers. Optimus sighed massively in relief before transforming and heading toward the sound of sirens.

Three antagonizing hours later, StarRacer was sitting on the couch watching a strange human television program called _**'Blossoms of Tomorrows Future'**_. Apparently the humans call them _soap operas_, or so she was told. She was also told that the crew including her mate and child didn't much care for them, and after twenty minutes of listening to human actors cry and fight over things she didn't understand, she had to agree with them. Changing the channel from one to the next took the edge off of _**some**_ of her boredom. She saw things like dancing animals advertising human products; fast, sleek cars traveling on a paved trail in an oval obviously all cars trying to get ahead of the other, humans fighting each other with their fists, funny moments captured by humans, large and unbelievable explosions and accidents caught on tape…the list is endless. She had over 500 channels to look at on this device called a "television". There was everything from a gardening channel to mechanics, soap operas to cartoons, but no matter what she saw none of it seemed to interest her.

StarChaser walked in the room just as her mother was flipping through the cartoon section of channels. StarChaser squealed as she bounded for the couch thus startling her mother. "YES! I was wondering when the _good_ cartoons would be on!"

StarRacer sat there, quiet and astonished. StarChaser passed a glance, and then did a double take. "Oh, I'm sorry mom, were you watching something?"

StarRacer shook her head as she leaned back taking StarChaser into her lap. "No you're fine, there was nothing good on anyway."

StarChaser looked up smiling but then looked back to the television to watch a dog beat a cat with a really big hammer. StarChaser sat there happy and worry free just watching these strange characters go around with each other. StarRacer also watched but couldn't quite understand how a 'dog' (as she was told this animal was called) and a 'cat' could defy the law of physics by pulling out such large weapons to use against each other out of literally nowhere. But…she didn't question it, she decided that maybe it would just be better not to question the logic behind this but rather watch and enjoy like what StarChaser was doing.

Ratchet walked in carrying a large box of tools. He looked at the screen and scoffed. "What a load of scrap metal, there is just no way in this universe that a couple of Earth animals could talk let alone try to put each other off-line with weapons that are twice their size."

StarChaser turned around and leaned over the back of the couch. "Aw, come on Ratchet, Sari said not to question the logic of cartoons, but rather watch them for some laughs. Because that's all cartoons are Ratchet: entertainment."

Again Ratchet huffed to himself before walking away in the direction of the med lab. StarChaser sank back down next to her mother and curled up close next to her. StarRacer took StarChaser into her arms and continued to watch the screen. Within a little less of a half a mega cycle the base door opened; it was Optimus.

StarChaser bounded off the couch and into her father's arms. Optimus cringed slightly but embraced the hug none the less. StarRacer walked toward Optimus looking at him.

"Optimus, are you alright?"

Optimus looked up nodding. "Yeah, I just had a little…accident."

StarRacer looked Optimus over and something caught her optic, and she gasped covering her mouth. "Optimus, you're hurt!"

Optimus had indeed been hurt, just below his left set of headlights there was a large gash in his armor, just big enough for a small robot like StarChaser or even maybe Bumblebee to stick their hand into. It was sparking violently and leaking fuel at a phenomenal rate.

StarRacer looked at Optimus; horrified. "We need to get you to the med bay…NOW."

Optimus put a hand on StarRacer's shoulder. "StarRacer I'm fine…really I -…Oh, Primus."

Optimus hit the floor on his knees holding his side. StarRacer hit the floor right after him and took him by the arm. Turning to StarChaser she spoke as calmly as she could but quickly. "StarChaser…sweet-spark, I need to hurry and find Ratchet…tell him it's an emergency…daddy's hurt very bad and needs him right away."

StarChaser watched in un-endless horror as her sires fuel leaked onto the floor, her optics were petrified not being able to look up or away. Finally StarRacer yelled. "STARCHASER!"

StarChaser snapped out of it and looked up horrified and energon tears starting to form. StarRacer held Optimus who could barely hold his head up. StarRacer looked at StarChaser and spoke nowhere near as calm as before. "Sweetie I need you to focus, okay…you need to find Ratchet, now!"

StarChaser looked up afraid and crying. "Momma, is daddy going to be okay?"

StarRacer nodded. "Yes, but you have to go now. Go find Ratchet. Hurry!"

StarChaser nodded and sprinted for the med bay screaming Ratchet's name.

Ratchet was in the med bay just beginning to dink a barrel of oil when an oil curdling scream rang out through the room calling for him. He spewed oil through his mouth that easily reached the other side of the room. Angered, he wheeled around.

"Alright what smart-afted, good for nothing bo-?"

StarChaser was standing in the doorway bawling and terrified. Ratchet walked over and leaned down next to her. "StarChaser? What is it? What's wrong?"

Through the tears StarChaser managed to stutter out five words. "Daddy…hurt bad…come quickly!"

Without hesitation Ratchet raced for the rec. room only to find StarRacer on the floor holding Optimus in a puddle of fuel. With tears streaming from her optics, StarRacer looked up and almost screamed.

"DO SOMETHING!"

Ratchet kneeled down next to StarRacer in the puddle and carefully examined the wound. Using his finger, he probed around the wound. Optimus yelled and cringed in pain. Ratchet looked at StarRacer with a half sparked smile. "Well, he's still conscious…that's a good sign."

StarRacer hesitated. "So, he'll live?"

Ratchet sighed. "Only if I can seal the broken fuel lines, but even with that he's lost a lot of energon."

StarRacer glared. "But you CAN fix him, right?"

Ratchet looked at Optimus who helplessly lay there in unbearable pain and agony. "I'll try."

Ratchet looked behind him to see StarChaser who stood petrified as she looked at her hands that were covered with the fuel from her sire's wound. It must have rubbed off when she hugged him earlier and she didn't even realize it. Ratchet looked at StarRacer and motioned toward StarChaser. StarRacer got up and took StarChaser in her arms.

"Come on sweet-spark, let's go clean up and wait in the other room."

StarChaser watched helplessly over her mother's shoulder. She reached out toward her father who was lying on the floor with Ratchet by his side beginning to make the repairs. She reached out with both servos and cried. "Daddy!"

StarRacer ignored her child's pleas for her father and proceeded to walk into the med bay and closing the door behind her.


	6. Chapter 7 & 8

CHAPTER 7

StarChaser sat there in awkward silence as her mother ran a wet towel over her armor. Neither one said anything, for there was nothing to be said. Finally though, StarChaser managed to look up at her mother and speak through the tears.

"Momma…is…is daddy going to be okay?"

StarRacer was still just solemnly looking upon her child. She then ran the towel over her face trying to wipe the tears away. "Of course daddy is going to be okay, Ratchet just needs to fix him up first."

StarChaser looked away for a moment before looking back. "Momma, when you were holding daddy…you looked really scared."

Putting the towel on top of StarChaser's head, StarRacer smiled lovingly. "I was…but not anymore."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. It slowly opened; it was Ratchet.

StarRacer picked StarChaser up into her arms and looked at Ratchet, terrified. "Well?"

Ratchet sighed looking at both StarRacer and the child. "The damage was quite severe, and he had lost a lot of fuel…"

StarRacer cringed and pulled StarChaser closer. But looked at Ratchet and motioned to continue.

"…but I was able to stabilize the main fuel lines and he already appears to be improving."

StarRacer sighed and dropped to her knees with StarChaser still in her arms. "Oh, thank the All-Spark!"

Ratchet kneeled down putting a hand on her shoulder. "He's actually awake if you want to go talk to him."

With those words being said, StarChaser was already gone. When she came into the rec. room, the puddle had been cleaned up and Optimus quietly lay motionless on the couch.

Quietly, StarChaser approached and looked at her sire's face and whispered. "Daddy?"

Optimus didn't move, instead he remained in the same state. StarChaser put her head down and sadly watched her father, until one optic belonging to her sire opened and a smile creped across his face plate.

A wide grin beamed across StarChaser's face plate and she leaped for joy. "Daddy!"

Without thinking StarChaser jumped on top of Optimus making him cry out in pain. "Oh, StarChaser…OW that hurts!"

StarChaser sat on his chest plate smiling with guilty embarrassment. "I'm sorry daddy, I just…kinda…sorta…forgot."

Optimus sighed and laid his head back. "It's okay sweet-spark; just…please do not jump on me like that, okay?"

"It hasn't even been one fourth of a mega cycle that your father's been awake, and you're already jumping on him like he's a human jungle-gym?"

StarRacer stood against the doorway leading into the rec. room, smiling. "It's nice to see you on-line …pretty boy."

Optimus smiled sheepishly and gently shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say; I'm not going down that easily."

StarRacer shook her head smiling, and then passed a glance to StarChaser who still was sitting cross legged on her father's chest plate.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?"

StarChaser as well as Optimus both looked at the clock. Sure enough it read nine twenty five, in lighter terms, it WAS time for bed.

StarChaser looked back to her mother pleading. "Oh mom, can't I stay up a little while longer?"

StarRacer lifted herself off the doorway frame and stepped forward with her arms still crossed. "And why would I let you do that?"

StarChaser looked down at her sire who only raised an optic in obvious agreement with his mate. StarChaser looked up still pleading. "But momma, I wanna stay with daddy. Please can I stay up a little longer? Please?"

StarRacer smiled and passed a glance to Optimus. "Well, what do you think your father would say?"

StarChaser sighed and groaned. "He would say that there's no bending the rules around this base and that I need to follow those rules and go to bed."

StarRacer laughed. "Yeah, he probably would say that…but considering he's _'out of commission'_ so to speak, then that makes me the one in charge for the night…and I think you can stay up for just a little while longer."

Immediately StarChaser smiled to herself and giggled. Optimus groaned and shook his head. "First, it's bending the rules…then its mutiny."

StarRacer laughed and pointed a finger. "Oh shut up now, you're supposed to recuperating."

Optimus sighed and looked down. "Yes dear."

StarRacer shook her head and scoffed. "Don't you 'yes dear' me, now…I'm going to go talk to Ratchet about your wound. StarChaser IS staying up…"

StarChaser giggled and smiled to herself. StarRacer shook her head. "…but only until nine forty five, after that she WILL go to bed."

StarChaser groaned and fell back on Optimus making him cringe and groan. StarRacer laughed but growled at StarChaser. She shook her head in compliance and gently cuddled into his neck plate. StarRacer smiled and nodded in agreement and then left the room.

Optimus sighed and passed a glance to the sparkling next to him. "It's always gotta be your way…doesn't it?"

StarChaser grinned triumphantly and only cuddled closer. After a few minutes of silence, Optimus could hear StarChaser whimpering. Optimus turned his head slightly to see StarChaser.

"Sweet-spark, what's the matter?"

StarChaser dug her face plate into Optimus armor and cried. "Daddy please don't ever scare me like that again."

Optimus was silent but smiled and rubbed his face plate against hers. "Sweet-spark, I won't. And that's a promise."

Meanwhile StarRacer had talked to Ratchet and found out that Optimus would be good as new in a few days time. It was while she was walking back to the rec. room that she paused and smiled as she took in a moment worth saving. StarChaser lay silently and almost asleep next to her father's face and Optimus lay there also asleep.

StarRacer slowly approached and whispered Optimus' name. He opened his optics slowly and looked up over the arm of the couch. StarRacer stood there smiling at the sight of StarChaser being sound asleep next to her father. Optimus smiled sheepishly and shrugged slightly. StarRacer smiled and shook her head.

"I think it's time for _two_ bots to go to bed."

CHAPTER 8

Days had passed since Optimus had his accident. He was literally ordered to take it easy for several days until his operating systems improved entirely. But it wasn't just Ratchet giving the orders, but his mate as well. For the four days after Optimus had become injured, StarRacer had taken over the main role of Prime without question and without hesitation, and was fairly good at it. Not only that but she treated herself as Optimus own private nurse. She did anything he needed which Optimus could easily get used to. StarRacer even played the role of being his protector against the likes of Optimus' biggest and most feared terror in the base…StarChaser. She wanted to play with Optimus like they always had before, but was having a hard time understanding the fact that he wasn't permitted to play rough until he was feeling better. So it was yet another StarRacer's jobs to keep little StarChaser off of her father which in most respects was hard for the both of them. But the fifth day had finally crawled in, and Optimus sat patiently on the med table waiting for the results.

"Well Ratchet, am I fit for going back to work; or do I get to have a few more days of doing nothing on my future agenda?"

Ratchet snarled while looking at a data pad. "Well, according to these scans your operating systems are running at over ninety-seven percent and are climbing as the days pass."

Optimus sighed annoyingly. "Can I go back to being out in the field? That's all I'm asking. It's a simple 'yes' or 'no' question."

Ratchet passed a glance, obviously being annoyed by Optimus' impatience. "You are _very_ **close **to being completely healed, but I don't exactly want you pushing your systems just yet. We want you running at a tip top performance of one hundred percent."

Optimus groaned and pleaded. "But Ratchet can't I just—?"

StarRacer smacked Optimus upside the head and practically growled. "Optimus Prime! Shut up and do what the medic tells you!"

Optimus turned around slowly and stared at StarRacer loath fully and mumbled something. StarRacer stared him down raising an optic.

"Do you really want to go servo to servo with me?; because I know all your weaknesses, as well as your strengths."

Optimus stared for only a moment before looking down and away. "No."

StarRacer smiled and nodded. "I didn't think so."

Optimus continued to look away as he stared at his wrist. StarChaser climbed up and watched from his shoulder. She then looked up at her mother.

"Mom, where's Bumblebee and Bulkhead?"

StarRacer shrugged and sighed. "Last I heard they were with Prowl on Dinobot Island looking for an All-spark fragment."

"Oh." StarChaser nodded and looked back down at her father.

StarRacer suddenly paused as an epiphany ran through her processor.

She turned and smiled at Ratchet. "So, what're _**your**_ plans for the afternoon Ratchet?"

Ratchet sighed as he cleared the data pad and placed it in a storage unit. "Actually, I was going to head out to the carbon mines with Sari and try to find some All-Spark fragments, why?"

StarRacer passed a glance to Optimus who was pivoting his wrist joint with StarChaser watching curiously over his shoulder. StarRacer turned back to Ratchet smiling. "I was wondering if maybe you'd be willing to take StarChaser with you for a few hours…maybe put her to work or something."

Ratchet crossed his arms and looked at StarRacer suspiciously. "And why would I do that?"

StarRacer again looked at StarChaser and Optimus then beckoned Ratchet closer and whispered. "Because I need to talk to Optimus about something important concerning StarChaser, and I don't want her overhearing anything."

Ratchet raised an optic and again asked suspiciously. "What about StarChaser exactly?"

StarRacer sighed and looked away and again whispered. "StarChaser's date of manufacture is coming soon, and I want Optimus as well as myself to figure out something special we can all do together as a **family**. Understand?"

Ratchet nodded and sighed. "Fine, I'll take her with me. But if she gets in the way it's you I'm going to be complaining to."

StarRacer nodded and turned toward the two red and blue 'bots on the couch. Ratchet sighed and grumbled. "StarChaser, come on."

StarChaser looked up and then quickly jumped out from behind her father and onto the floor. She walked over to Ratchet and looked up curiously. "What's wrong Ratchet?"

Ratchet groaned. "Nothing, you're just coming with me for a while."

Ratchet turned to walk out of the base with StarChaser running up behind. "Why?"

Ratchet mumbled something and looked at StarChaser out of the corner of his optic. "Because I need your help with something."

StarChaser smiled curiously. "Why?"

As the two walked out of the base and into the distance, you could hear Ratchet answering a never ending amount of the question 'why?'.

StarRacer stood in the door way laughing to herself.

Optimus looked up confused. "Now what was all that about?"

StarRacer laughed to herself as she closed the base door. "I asked Ratchet if he could take StarChaser with him for a while."

Optimus cocked his head, still confused. "Why?"

StarRacer locked the door and turned to Optimus smiling. "Because I told Ratchet that I needed to talk to you…alone."

Optimus leaned back on the couch dumbfounded. "About _what _exactly?"

StarRacer slowly approached Optimus swaying her hips. "What do _you_ think?"

Quickly Optimus sat up straight and watched with cautious optics. StarRacer sank down beside him and rubbed up against him, cuddling and laughing.

Optimus looked at her and slid away. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

StarRacer slid closer trapping him against the arm of the couch. "I'm just… having a little fun."

StarRacer gently caressed Optimus' cheek plate and neck with her lips. Shaking and uneasy, Optimus lunged off the couch and wheeled around to StarRacer. "Now just hold on one nano-click! I know what you're trying to do, and it's not going to work on me!"

Annoyed, StarRacer rested her servo on the arm of the couch. "Really, you know what I'm doing?"

Optimus nodded hastily. "Yes, by doing this whole attractive, flirty femme thing you do, you think you can take advantage of me! Well, I got news for you sister, it's not gonna work on me!"

StarRacer smirked. "Funny, it worked on you eight thousand vorns ago."

Optimus put up a finger in disagreement. "Okay, first of all I had had WAY to much energon to drink that night and couldn't even tell the difference between a femme and a mop and second if I recall correctly, YOU came on to ME!"

StarRacer stood up and slowly started to approach Optimus. "Well, if I did it then and it worked, what's so different about now?"

Optimus backed up trying to put things in between him and StarRacer. "Back THEN, I was young, stupid and energon happy. NOW, I have a responsibility to my crew, this planet and OUR daughter."

StarRacer smiled. "Uh Optimus, if _YOU _remember correctly…if we wouldn't have done what we did back then, StarChaser wouldn't be here today."

Optimus was about to say something, but stopped and thought about it. "Okay, you _may_ have a point there…but I'm still not falling for it this time!"

StarRacer stopped and huffed. "What is your _problem_? I mean seriously, a femme can't be with her mech once and a while?"

Optimus looked at her from behind the couch, scoffing at her. "Oh, _pfff_, _**suuuurreee**_, right THAT'S what you want…uh huh…I'll believe that when I see it."

StarRacer stood there and stared blankly. "You mean to tell me that you don't believe me when I say I just want to spend one fraggin' afternoon with you?"

StarRacer looked down and away crossing her arms. "I don't even know why I wanted to be with you anymore."

Optimus looked away for a minute, and then slowly approached StarRacer. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he whispered. "StarRacer…I…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to—."

StarRacer turned and placed a hand on his mouth. Her face slowly changed from a frown to a wide mischievous grin. "Optimus…you are _soooooo_ gullible."

StarRacer then pushed Optimus back onto the couch. Optimus immediately tried to get up but StarRacer pinned him down.

Optimus looked up dumbfounded. "STARRACER….HOLD ON, JUST WAIT A NANO-CLICK!"

StarRacer casually sat on Optimus' waist looking at him triumphantly. "What?"

Optimus hesitated then smiled sheepishly. "StarRacer, don't you think that we should…maybe…practice some caution first?"

StarRacer sighed and shook her head. "Optimus, you are acting like a sparkling! Come on…_be a mech_."

StarRacer slowly leaned down and again started kissing Optimus passionately on the neck and cheek plates, but soon moved to his lips. Optimus tried to get up and free himself, but failed.

"StarRacer, I _really_ don't think we should be doing this. What if Ratchet or one of the others—."

StarRacer yells. "Will you just calm down! Sheesh, do I have to get you over-energized before hand or what?"

Optimus lifts his head slightly. "No I'm just saying—!"

StarRacer clamped her hand over Optimus' mouth. She then gently put her forehead down next to his and whispered lovingly. "Enough talk '_pretty boy'_, it's time for action."

StarRacer gently ran her hands across Optimus' chest plate and waist while she kissed him passionately. Optimus tried to struggle but instead didn't fight it. StarRacer ran her hands across his grill, then slowly moved her hand down and begun to gently caress Optimus' crotch plate.

Optimus jumped and flinched. "WOW, HEY! STARRACER NO!"

Optimus managed to throw StarRacer off of his chest and made a break for the med bay. If he could get there and lock the door, he'd be safe. But StarRacer, being quick to the draw rebounded and ran around the front of the opposite side of the couch, and tripped him using her whip. She jumped on top of him and pinned him to the floor by using his own body weight against him.

Optimus hollered in disagreement. "No StarRacer get off! I SAID NO! STARRACER WAIT!"

StarRacer adjusted herself on top of Optimus and smiled devilishly.

Optimus hesitated then pleaded. "No, no, no, no, NO, **NO! ****NOT THERE! NOT THERE! **Ah-ha! THAT'S SENSITIVE! AHCH, I NEED AN ADULT! NO! NO! N—."

Suddenly, for a few awkward moments, the room was silent. At least that was until StarRacer began to giggle softly.

"What's the matter Optimus, you change your mind?"

Again there is a short period of silence until a deep sigh rolls from Optimus and he begins to chuckle deeply. "Oh, shut up."

StarRacer sat up and shook her head laughing. "You're a typical mech; you can never settle on what you _really_ want."

Optimus scoffed and laughed. "Oh _really_; is that so?"

Optimus then rolled over throwing StarRacer to the ground. She yelled and laughed as they both began to kiss each other.

Optimus then stood up holding StarRacer at his waist with his hands gripping her aft. StarRacer pulls her lips away from Optimus' and sighs happily.

"Hey, I thought you said you had a 'responsibility' to your crew, this planet, and your daughter? _Hmmmmmmm_?"

Optimus had ceased kissing StarRacer on the chest, cheeks, and neck and paused to think about it. She was right he had said that. Optimus looked away thinking about his previous statement, but soon groaned and shrugged. "Oh…_pfff_…screw it."

Optimus then locked his lips to StarRacer's. StarRacer kisses him back but tries to talk at the same time.

"Optimus… Berth... Now!"

Optimus then tried to carry StarRacer in the direction of his room, but instead fell backwards behind the couch with StarRacer still in his arms, StarRacer yipped loudly in surprise, but then giggled mischievously. "On second thought…this will work."

: 0 ….XP & XD & ^.^ (there's some nasty slag goin' on der peeps)


	7. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

**(WARNING: This chapter contains what some people may consider STICKY; caution is advised to some immature readers.) Adult themes from here on out kids…wait…no kids! No little eyes! XD**

Ratchet, Sari and StarChaser were just a few minutes walking distance from the carbon mines when StarChaser paused and turned around. Ratchet and Sari stopped and looked at her.

Sari tilted her head and laughed. "Whatcha' lookin' at Star?"

StarChaser shook her head and giggled. "Nothing just had a funny feeling is all."

Sari laughed and looked back to Ratchet. "So when exactly did you guys pick this signal up?"

Ratchet shrugged. "Just this morning actually; Prime said he was going to go check it out, but StarRacer and I opted against it. He's still pretty weak from that incident with the Angry Archer."

Sari nodded. "Yeah I bet. Oh, that reminds me, when am I actually going to get a chance to meet this StarRacer? Every time I've gone over to the base, she's either been gone with StarChaser here or doing something else."

StarChaser bounded up next to Ratchet. "Maybe when we find the fragment and go back to the base, **then** you can meet my mom!"

Sari nodded and laughed. "Yeah maybe, but first we have to find the fragment."

StarChaser smiled and shrugged. "Oh, well how hard can that be?"

Ratchet stopped and motioned toward the land that lay out before them. "The signal came from somewhere in this quadrant."

Sari and StarChaser stopped and gasped in awe. Over one hundred and fifty acres of open prairie lay out before them with grass that exceeded Sari's waist. Sari and StarChaser looked at Ratchet in awe and disbelief. Ratchet looked down and away again but did a double take on the girls.

"What?"

StarChaser motioned forward. "You mean we have to search all of _**this**_? That'll take _**forever**_!"

Sari looked up shaking her head. "I have to agree with Star on one thing Ratchet; we have to search this entire prairie? I mean, come on doc bot these grasslands have to cover at least one hundred to two hundred acres of land!"

Ratchet sighed crossing his arms. "One hundred and fifty to be exact."

Sari shook her head. "Nevertheless, that will take hours, maybe even days!"

Ratchet shrugged and started walking out in the field. "Then I guess we'd better get started."

StarChaser and Sari both groaned and whimpered as they followed Ratchet out into the field.

Spreading out into a V shape with Ratchet in the center, the two bots and techno- organic searched the field. StarChaser stopped and dipped down into the grass and giggled hysterically. Ratchet turned around and scolded. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

StarChaser popped up out of the grass holding a tire. "Hey Ratchet, need a spare?"

Sari laughed and looked at Ratchet who was shaking his head and frowning. "We're looking for fragments NOT tires, now come on we don't even have a fourth of this field covered and it's already been a mega-cycle and a half!"

Sari laughed and shook her head. "Calm down Ratchet, she's just having a little fun is all."

Ratchet shook his head. "If we keep fooling around we'll never find that fraggin' fragment."

StarChaser wheeled around and pointed to Ratchet. "Ratchet, watch your audio processer! My mom and dad get mad at me when I talk like that, they say that that's a bad word and no bot has got any business saying it!"

Ratchet paused and looked at StarChaser dumbfounded. Sari laughed. "You tell him Star."

Just then a familiar horn honked in the distance, it was Bumblebee being followed by Prowl and Bulkhead. The stopped, transformed and walked out into the field.

Bumblebee looked at the trio and laughed. "What are you three doing out here? Shouldn't you three be at the base making sure the boss bot doesn't over work himself?"

StarChaser laughed. "Oh, don't worry Bumblebee…momma watching dad."

Prowl leaned over to Ratchet almost worried. "You left Prime and StarRacer _**alone**_?"

Ratchet nodded and whispered. "StarRacer wanted to talk to Prime about StarChaser's date of manufacture; she said it was coming up soon."

Prowl hesitated and cringed. "Uh, Ratchet?"

Ratchet looked over at Sari and StarChaser who were talking to Bumblebee and Bulkhead then looked back to Prowl. "What?"

Prowl hesitantly smiles. "StarChaser's date of manufacture isn't for another eight earth months."

Ratchet shot a look to Prowl. "But StarRacer said—! Oh, I'm going to kill that femme! "

Ratchet suddenly transformed and blared out of the field. "If that femme is going to do or **IS** doing what I think she's doing…she's going to be in a world of hurt!"

Sari, StarChaser, Bumblebee and Bulkhead walk up beside Prowl who's standing in a daze. StarChaser looked up at Prowl and cocked her head. "Prowl where's Ratchet going and what's he going to do?"

Prowl looked down at the small pair of optics and sheepishly smiled. "I don't know."

Meanwhile back at the base there's quite a ruckus going on. StarRacer is on the floor with Optimus on top of her. She had her stabilizing servos spread with his waist in-between. StarRacer was arcing her back and moaning to the high heavens. She looked at Optimus out of the corner of her optic and pleaded.

"Optimus…say my name…oh Optimus say my name!"

Panting hard Optimus obliges. "Oh StarRacer…..OH STARRACER…**OH STARRACER**!"

StarRacer arches her back and moans with every movement. "Oh OPTIMUS!"

Optimus' lips travelled from her neck to her lips. They started kissing fiercely. Optimus licked her lips with his glossa, begging for an entrance to her mouth. StarRacer obeyed, opening her mouth for him. Optimus slipped his glossa in, exploring its surroundings. Soon he found StarRacer's glossa and they started the glossa-war, dancing together in an exotic dance.

"Optimus…"

StarRacer moaned his name. She loved the way Optimus was pleasing her. Optimus let out a growl of hunger and clutched her aft, causing her to yelp in surprise.

Optimus pulled and turned his interface appliance and shifted it in StarRacer's port. Pleasure filled them, causing them to moan in ecstasy.

"Oh, Optimus!" StarRacer screamed, telling him to continue. She wrapped her stabilizing servos around his waist, making his job _**much**_ easier.

Then with a swift motion of sheer talent, Optimus lifted StarRacer off the floor so that they were lying side by side and continued in a 'spooning' fashion. StarRacer reached behind grabbing the back of Optimus' thigh area of his stabilizing servo and used her other hand to claw at the floor for support.

A low menacing growl escaped deep from within Optimus' chest as he dug his face plate into her neck and his interface rod deep into her well lubricated port. He knew she was enjoying this, and in all respects so was he. StarRacer was honestly the only femme he had ever been with his whole life, and he's only interfaced with her once…well…twice now.

StarRacer gasped and panted with desire and lust as Optimus' hands ventured all over her trembling body. She shoved herself back into Optimus' chest plate begging for more. Optimus obliged by thrusting himself deeper in until the very root of his lust met up with her aft.

Optimus then ceased in his rhythm and stopped all movement.

StarRacer turned her head and looked up at Optimus with dazed optics and whimpered. "Optimus…please…don't stop…not now."

Optimus smiled and chuckled as he dug his face plate into the side of her neck. "As you wish…"

Then with yet another swift movement of his body, he again rolled over onto StarRacer and used his left arm to support his massive weight over her delicate frame and his right to guide his 'extension-cord' back into place.

Optimus thrust himself into StarRacer, making her moan louder. He repeated thrusting, making them each time faster and harder. They both overloaded at the same time, crying out their pleasure.

They both panted, needing the air to cool themselves down. The pleasure from the overloading was still burning in their bodies, making their cooling systems kick in.

Optimus pulled StarRacer into his embrace, wanting to feel her close to him. She was still panting hard, making him know he had done well.

Optimus bent down close. "StarRacer…I-I want you to know something…"

StarRacer looked up exhausted but happy. Optimus smiled.

"I…I love you." he said as he kissed her all over her face.

"I love you, too. My silly, dumb mech.", she murmured and snuggled closer to him.

An evil smirk then appeared on her face plate, "Wanna do it again?"

Optimus smiled down at her. For the love of the All-Spark, he had a dirty femme as a spark mate. And he **loved **every little kinky bit of it.

Optimus chuckled deeply and shook his head as he moved himself back into position, but until he could make his move, again, he heard something…and it was not good.

"**OPTIMUS PRIME AND STARRACER!"**

Optimus and StarRacer both froze as both recognized that voice. It was Ratchet…and boy he didn't sound happy. StarRacer and Optimus looked at each other in horror at the realization of what CAN and WILL happen if Ratchet finds out what they have just done.

Ratchet continued to yell up a storm. **"EITHER YOU TWO COME OUT NOW OR ELSE!"**

StarRacer looked up at Optimus and whispered. "Or else…what?"

Optimus shrugged. "I don't know…and…I don't want to know."

Optimus then slinked off of StarRacer and popped up from behind the couch not only to see Ratchet standing there with a death look of disapproval… but… Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Prowl, Sari and his own daughter standing in the doorway watching with shocked and confused eyes and optics. Optimus froze in fear and swallowed hard. Ratchet stood there arms crossed.

"Prime…What are you doing?"

Suddenly StarRacer sat up next to Prime and put her arms around his neck. She looked at everyone watching them but kept the straightest face she could as she turned to Ratchet smiling.

"Hi, Ratchet. So…find any All-Spark fragments?"

**Okay…I realize I went alittle out of my usual groove with this chapter, what with the hanky-panky goin' on there for a while but honestly? After not seeing each other for how freakin' long WHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT! Whatever… it was still a fun chapter to type. LOL XD Please comment I enjoy hearing what you have to say…and OH…before I forget…Wolf Prime and ****AMYLEE PRIME, thank you so much for the comments, I'm really glad you enjoy the story and knowing there are people out there who like it makes it worth typing. I'll upload the next chapter soon…just for you two. And to everyone else who may be reading this REVIEW and MAYBE I'll MENTION YOU! XD Done with my rant now. ****Gracias de nuevo Wolf Prime y AMYLEE PRIME de los comentarios no puedo esperar para oír de usted otra vez.**

Listen

Read phonetically

Dictionary - View detailed dictionary

**verb **

Excuse

Condone

Exempt

Exculpate

Exonerate

**adjective **

Transitive


	8. Chapter 10,11,12

CHAPTER 10

Prowl, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Sari and StarChaser sat quietly outside the med bay trying to listen in on Ratchet giving StarRacer an Optimus a strong worded lecture on how two adults need to properly conduct themselves with sensitive matters like this instead of just fraggin each other wherever they please like human teenagers. Optimus also got chewed out for letting StarRacer talk him in to such a thing when he very well knew the risks what with his systems still being questionable; well that among other things. And StarRacer got chewed out for openly lying about StarChaser's date of manufacture just so that she could be alone with Optimus and overload as many times as they could until he and StarChaser got back, and how she should have just been honest in the first place.

Ratchet paced the floor rubbing his optics. "Prime, you would've been the _**LAST**_ bot I'd expect this kind of behavior from."

Optimus looked down nodding. "I know Ratchet. It was a stupid and irresponsible thing for me to do…and it will never happen again."

StarRacer watched Optimus look down; humiliated. She hesitated before looking at the medic pacing the floor. "Wait Ratchet, it wasn't Optimus' fault!"

Both Ratchet and Optimus looked at her curiously. She froze and looked away. "I was the one that came on to him. It was my idea to lie to you; Optimus didn't know anything about it. So if you're going to blame anyone…blame me."

Sighing, Ratchet shook his head. "I'm not blaming anyone. I'm merely telling you that what you two did was irresponsible. And it wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the fact that your own daughter saw you both!"

Optimus and StarRacer looked at each other with vague expressions of remembrance. That's right, StarChaser was there! And after was all said and done, she would probably have _**ALOT**_ of questions. Both looked back at Ratchet who was laughing.

"And all I have to say to you two when confronted by StarChaser is 'good luck'."

Ratchet then turned and opened the door only to find a group of bots with the exception of a half-bot sitting by the door. Ratchet merely shook his head and walked away. The curious optics (and eyes) peeked around the corner to see their leader and his mate seated on the berth talking quietly. Bulkhead looked at Bumblebee who passed a glance at StarChaser. StarChaser was sitting quietly watching her parents until she noticed several optics and a pair of eyes watching her. Ignoring them, she looked back at her parents. Then stood up and proceeded into the med bay. All other bots (and techno-organic) leaned down and watched quietly in curiosity. Optimus and StarRacer both looked up in sync to each other and watched StarChaser walk up. Standing there quietly, a smile crept across her face plate and she held out her arms to her father. Optimus smiled as she lifted her onto the berth and rested her in his lap. StarRacer slid closer to Optimus and caressed the child's head. StarChaser sat quietly for a while enjoying the sweet touch of her mother and father's servos.

StarChaser looked up at her mom and dad and asked. "Momma, Daddy…why did Ratchet yell at you guys?"

Optimus passed and uneasy glance to StarRacer who only nodded. Optimus looked down smiling. "Well, your mother and I kind of did something we really shouldn't have done. "

StarChaser looked up tilting her head. "What did you do?"

Again Optimus looked at StarRacer who only gave a sheepish smile. StarRacer looked down and rubbed her cheek plate. "Sweet-spark, sometimes…mommies and daddies like to have time to themselves to show each other how much they really love each other…"

StarRacer passed a glance to Optimus and smiled warmly. "…and your daddy was showing me how much he loves me." Optimus smiled the same warm smile before looking back down.

StarChaser looked away, confused. "I don't understand. If daddy was showing you how much he loves you…them why would Ratchet yell at you?" She then looked back up at Optimus.

Optimus laughed slightly before shrugging. "Well, the way mothers and fathers show their affection for one another could be considered a little… unorthodox."

StarChaser looked up dumbfounded. "Wha—?"

StarRacer laughed as she wrapped her arms around Optimus' shoulders. "What your father means is that until you're old enough to understand… you would think that what mommies and daddies do is really disgusting, and that's okay… when you get big enough to understand, then we'll tell you. Okay?"

StarChaser looked away disappointed, but looked up smiling. "Okay…but daddy's going to be the one to tell me, right?"

StarRacer almost fell over on Optimus laughing at just the horrified expression Optimus had shown. StarRacer fell onto the berth laughing and was almost in tears. Optimus sheepishly looked down at StarChaser who just kept the same serious expression on her face plate. Optimus smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

"Sweet-spark, I think that's more your mother's area, not mine."

StarChaser tilted her head. "But if mom wasn't here, you would have had to have been the one to explain it to me when I was old enough, right?"

Optimus shrugged. "Well that or I would have had Chromia do it for me."

StarRacer sat up, not laughing anymore. "Wait a nano-click, you know Chromia?"

Optimus looked at StarRacer smiling smugly. "Oh that's right, you never heard about that have you? Yeah, a few stellar cycles ago, I almost got my aft handed to me when _YOUR_ friend came here trying to take StarChaser back to Cybertron. But at the last nano-click, StarChaser decided she wanted to stay with me instead. Now she comes with the Elite Guard and checks in on Star from time to time."

StarRacer was silent for only a few moments before she started to shake her head and laugh. "Oh Chromia, I should have known you would have taken over for me."

StarRacer turned to Optimus smiling. "You know Optimus, Chromia was there in the delivery room with me when StarChaser was born. And she literally helped me raise her until my…umm…_disappearance_."

Optimus was silent for a long time. He just looked down at StarChaser who sat happily in his lap and lay against his chest plate. She was starting to drift into stasis. Optimus gently caressed the child's armor as he looked back to StarRacer.

"I wish I was there."

StarRacer smiled as she rubbed lovingly against Optimus. "In a sense, you kind of were."

Optimus sighed and smiled. "Thanks StarRacer, but I still wish that I could have been there in that delivery room by your side, holding you and giving you all the comfort and encouragement you needed, and I wish I could have seen my little femme open her optics for the first time."

StarRacer watched as Optimus looked down at StarChaser and pulled her closer. "I already missed part of her life…I'm not going to miss any more."

StarRacer smiled as she put her arms around Optimus. "You know, when I was in that delivery room…having to endure all that pain and agony of StarChaser's coming spark….I was thinking about you. I was thinking about how I hoped the sparkling would have your smile, or your optics. I was hoping that it would be more like you so that it really seemed like you were always with me…or at least…a part of you anyway."

Optimus smiled as he put an arm around StarRacer. "She may _look_ like me, but in all actuality…she's got more features from her mother."

StarRacer laughed. "Oh please, she's so much like you it isn't even funny."

Optimus chuckled. "Oh really, how do you figure that?"

StarRacer smiled mischievously. "Okay one, when she's up to something she knows she's not supposed to be doing, she get's this evil grin that I surely don't get; two, when she's angry or upset she tips her visor down and glares, again something I know I don't do and three, she thinks she's in charge of everything…hmm…I wonder to whom those qualities are somewhat familiar with?"

Optimus smiled and shrugged. "Okay, okay so she inherited some of my not so better qualities… how is that my fault?"

StarRacer laughed and rested her head against Optimus. "Hey, even though she got some of my not so favorite qualities from you, she still has things from you that I do like."

Optimus raised and optic and smiled. "Oh, like what?"

StarRacer rubbed up next to Optimus and laughed quietly. "Let's see…the way she laughs, the way she smiles, and that canny little way that she's sometimes bashful for no reason…'

Optimus laughed and shook his head. StarRacer laughed. "…the way she's always willing to lend a servo, and how she'll face a problem even if the odds are against her…and how she's honest _MOST_ of the time…"

Optimus laughed harder. StarRacer cuddled closer. "But do you know what I like most about StarChaser that you and she have in common?"

Optimus smiled and chuckled quietly. "What?"

StarRacer smiled warmly as she looked down at the sleeping child, then back at Optimus. "I love the way you both never give up…even if faced with an impossible task."

Optimus laughed and rubbed his face plate against StarRacer's face plate. "And do you know what I like most about you?"

StarRacer laughed. "What?"

Optimus smiled evilly and moved in closer towards StarRacer's lips. "I _love_ the way you love me."

StarRacer smiled sheepishly and moved in closer to meet Optimus' lips with hers. But both stopped when they heard an intoxicating giggle erupt from Optimus' lap. Both looked down only to see StarChaser looking up with a wide grin on her face plate.

"Don't mind me, I'm just watching."

Optimus and StarRacer both looked up at each other and nodded with the same evil smile before looking down at StarChaser. StarChaser looked back and forth from her father to her mother and back.

"What are you two thinking?"

Just then Optimus secured StarChaser in his lap and StarRacer began to tickle her waist armor. StarChaser kicked, screamed and laughed so loudly that Ratchet came running in with great haste.

"What are you three—?"

But Ratchet stopped and watched from the doorway as tears from too much laughter rolled down StarChaser face plate. She was screaming for her parents to stop, which they eventually did. Optimus looked down at the exhausted sparkling and smiled triumphantly.

"Not so easy when you have two bots against you, is it?"

StarRacer smiled and leaned down next to StarChaser and whispered something. StarChaser smiled and nodded before both looked at Optimus devilishly. Optimus froze with an uneasy felling. Then suddenly both StarChaser and her mother lunged at Optimus and started tickling him making him scream like a femme. Ratchet just stood in the door way laughing as Optimus pleaded for them to stop. StarRacer looked down and smiled.

"Not so easy when you have two _femmes_ against you_, is it_?"

Optimus smiled and nodded honorably with defeat, then looked at StarChaser who was seated on his chest plate with a stature of victory on her face plate. He smiled then laughed.

"I should have known that I was going to be out numbered when your mother first arrived."

Ratchet then lightly tapped on the door frame thus gathering all three of the present bot's attention. Ratchet walked in carrying a small stack of data pads.

"Prime, I hate to interrupt…but I have something you might want to see."

Optimus sat up and StarChaser slid back into his lap. "What is it Ratchet?"

Ratchet approached the trio and handed Optimus the data pads. "I just got finished analyzing the rescans from after I got back to the base…"

Optimus looked at the pads vividly then looked up. "And?"

Ratchet shifted from one stabilizing servo to the other. "…and it turns out that you operating systems are back at their peak performance margin."

StarRacer raised an optic. "Meaning… what exactly?"

Ratchet sighed. "It means that Prime can go back out into field duty with no problems to hold him back."

"Well that's good…"

Everyone looks toward the doorway to see Bumblebee and Bulkhead watching. Bumblebee points to the rec. room. "…because we've got trouble."

As Optimus entered the room with StarRacer and StarChaser at his heels, Prowl stood in front of the television watching intently.

(Television reporter) _**'We know go live to the corner of New Elms street and Broadway to the horrific scene taking place, Tommy what exactly would you say is going on?'**_

(Field reporter) _**'Well Kent things are getting really bad down here; the Decepticons are reaping havoc on the citizens in the area. It appears they're looking for something and will destroy anything that—OH MY GOD!'**_

The television reporter on the screen hesitates before speaking into his ear piece_**. 'Tommy? Tommy? What is it? What's going on?'**_

Trough a speaker system at the news station, the field reporter is heard screaming. _**'Oh God! A Decepticon just incinerated a minivan with a mother and two children! Everyone, run for your lives! Oh my God, where are the Autobots?'**_

Optimus turns off the TV and turns to his crew. "We need to go…NOW. Ratchet what's the fastest route to the corner of New Elms and Broadway?"

Ratchet sprinted to the monitors and pulled up a GPS screen provided by Teletran one. He then turned back to Optimus. "If we take Highway 34 over to Sycamore it will take us straight to Broadway."

Optimus nodded. "Alright, Autobots…Transform and Roll out!"

All except Optimus transformed and blared out of the base. StarRacer walked past Optimus and was going to follow until Optimus grabbed her by the shoulder. "And just where do you think you're going?"

StarRacer turned to Optimus. "What does it look like? I'm going with you!"

Optimus pulled StarRacer back into the base. "Oh no you don't, I can't let you its too dangerous."

StarRacer brushed Optimus' hand off her shoulder. "I think I can hold my own against the Decepticons Optimus!"

She again tried to leave the base until Optimus grabbed her by the arm. "StarRacer NO, I can't let you come with us!"

StarRacer wheeled around and glared. "And why not!"

Optimus looked around the base trying to find an excuse when his optics rested on StarChaser. "Because someone needs to stay here to watch and protect StarChaser!"

StarRacer glared more angrily. "Oh is that it, or do you think that since I'm a femme my talent is better served as playing the 'stay-at-home-mom' while you go out and fight Decepticons?"

Optimus shook his head and glared back. "NO, that's not it at all its just that you have no idea what Megatron is really like, and I don't want you to get hurt."

StarRacer crossed her arms and growled. "Oh so it's okay if you get hurt, but if I get hurt—!"

Optimus threw down his arms. "StarRacer please, I don't have time for this! Will you just please for once listen to me and do as I say?"

StarRacer growled harder. "And **WHY** should** I** have to do what **YOU** say?"

Optimus growled back. "Because as acting Prime, I **ORDER YOU** to remain behind and guard the base and StarChaser!"

StarRacer was silent and stunned for only a few seconds before furiously walking away. She stopped and took StarChaser into her arms before turning around and glaring through the corner of her optic. "I'm not just another soldier that you can order around, Optimus."

StarRacer then walked away into the other room with StarChaser watching her father form her mother's shoulder. Optimus stood there both stunned and angry. Bumblebee came to a screeching halt and spoke while still in his vehicle form.

"Boss bot, come on we gotta go!"

Prime turned to Bumblebee and nodded as he transformed into his vehicle mode and drove off with his sirens blaring.

StarRacer paced angrily mumbling to herself in the med bay with StarChaser watching her every move. She paced back and forth cursing Optimus.

"How could he do this to me? After all we've been through today! He said he loves me, but instead he treats me like I'm a **fraggin'** maintenance bot!"

StarChaser looked up horrified and confused. "Momma?"

StarRacer looked over to the medic berth and saw StarChaser watching her with an uneasy glance. That was when she realized she had said a word that she had told StarChaser never to say. "Oh, I'm sorry sweet-spark. I didn't mean to scare you."

StarRacer sat down next to StarChaser on the berth. StarChaser looked up curiously. "Momma, are you mad at daddy?"

StarRacer shrugged. "A little, why?"

StarChaser cocked her head and looked up curiously. "Why are you mad at him?"

StarRacer shrugged and shook her head. "That's between your dad and I sweet-spark."

StarChaser nodded in understanding and looked away. There was a long awkward moment of silence until StarRacer turned to StarChaser smiling. "Hey, you wanna take a bath?"

StarChaser looked up with her optics glowing and nodded happily. StarChaser loved baths, and took advantage of every chance she got, but loved them even more if someone offered to clean her instead of her cleaning herself. It was fun when dad did it, but she bet it would be even better with mom.

Moments later, StarChaser sat happily in her mother's lap on the floor in the cleaning facility. Her mother gently caresses a warm wet and soapy towel across her armor.

"Wow, this human cleaning substance works wonders on armor, doesn't it?"

StarChaser laughed as she looked up at her mother. "The humans call it soap mom. But that stuff is nothing compared to the wax they use to shine metal."

StarRacer raised and optic. "Really, why do you say that?"

StarChaser giggled slightly. "Well, whenever daddy gives me a bath, he ALWAYS washes me with warm soapy water like what you're doing now; then he grabs that hose line over there and rinses me off…"

StarChaser pointed to a line of hose hanging from the ceiling that was attached to a water heater hooked to the corner of the room closer to the ceiling.

"…then after I'm all washed off, he usually dries me off with a towel and the air dryer…"

StarChaser then pointed to a hose line next to the other hose that looked to have a nozzle on it for blowing concentrated amounts of hot air.

"…and then when I'm dry, he takes a clean towel and uses this wax on my armor to make it look shiny!"

StarChaser then pointed to a small bottle on a shelf reading in human writing: **'AUTOBODY WAX: best used on cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles ect.'**

StarRacer smiled and looked down at StarChaser. "So your daddy keeps you nice and clean huh?"

StarChaser smiled and nodded. "Uh-huh, dad keeps me very clean so that when Sentinel Prime comes…he doesn't think I'm a little 'grease-grunt' or so dad calls it."

StarRacer smiled and dabbed a bit of soap on StarChaser's factory sensor. StarChaser laughed and pulled the towel out of her mother's hands and did the same to her.

StarRacer laughed and pointed to her armor. "I think you missed a spot."

StarChaser giggled and started caressing the towel over her mother's armor.

When both were covered completely in soap, StarRacer grabbed the hose from the ceiling with the water and sprayed StarChaser off. StarChaser giggled hysterically and covered her optics with her hands. When the soap was gone from her armor, she took the hose and did the same to her mother. Her mother on the other hand just sat there and enjoyed the warm stream of water sprayed onto her armor.

When both were rinsed and dried off, they slathered wax on to each other's armor and waxed each other to a shine. StarChaser then looked up at her mother curiously.

"Momma, why are you and daddy fighting?"

StarRacer looked down surprised, and then looked away. "Like I said before sweet-spark, that's sort of between me and your father."

Just then a slam from the rec. room rang through the base and the sound of mech's cheering and laughing voices rang out. StarRacer sighed and looked down at StarChaser.

"Sounds like the boys are back…"

CHAPTER 11

"Oh man boss bot, the way you threw that slab of cement into Blitzwing's chest plate that was priceless!"

Bulkhead nodded in agreement with Bumblebee. "Yeah, it's too bad someone couldn't get that on a vid-cam!"

Optimus laughed while shrugging off the compliments. "Well I had to do something, Blitzwing was about to fire those ice missiles of his and there were three children hiding behind that overpass."

Prowl walked around Bulkhead and stopped by Ratchet. "What I don't understand is why Megatron wasn't there?"

Ratchet shrugged. "Maybe he was having those two glitch-heads do his dirty work for him."

Bumblebee burst out laughing. "'Glitch-head' doesn't even begin to describe Lugnut's stupidity! Did you see the way he had to stop and boast about Megatron's so called 'superiority' when I said he was a good for nothing war monger?"

Bulkhead laughed. "Yeah little buddy, by you saying that, you distracted him long enough for me to get the drop on him with my wrecking ball…literally!"

All Autobots burst out laughing as StarChaser raced into the room. "Daddy! Daddy!"

Optimus turned and smiled warmly as her crouched down and scooped StarChaser up into a hug. "Hey, there's my little sweet-spark."

He looked at her still smiling. "Hey, did you take a bath?"

StarChaser smiled mischievously. "How'd you know?"

Optimus laughed. "It was just a guess."

Optimus looked passed StarChaser and down the hallway, then back at StarChaser. "Hey Star, where's your mother?"

StarChaser turned and pointed down the hallway. "Last I saw her; she was in the cleaning facilities. Why do you ask?"

Optimus whispered in StarChaser's audio receptor. "Is she still mad at me?"

StarChaser looked down and shrugged while she nodded. "Uh…yeah, yeah she is."

Optimus sighed. "Thought so…"

Optimus then put StarChaser down on the floor. "Listen, I'm going to go talk to your mom. No matter what happens, you stay here. Okay?"

StarChaser cringed and squirmed uneasily as she nodded. With a heavy sigh, Optimus turned and started down the hall toward the cleaning facilities.

Almost with the reflexes of a cat, Optimus looked around every corner keeping an optic open for 'you-know-who'. Peeking around every wall, he watched for any slight sign of movement. As he stalked quietly through the hallways, he mumbled to himself.

"_Well Optimus, you gotten yourself in deep…really deep."_

Optimus stopped as he heard the sound of water running. It was coming from one of the stalls in the cleaning facilities. Slowly he stopped and placed his back to the wall. Cautiously he turned and looked around the wall that was serving as protection only to see StarRacer standing upright under a steady stream of warm water with her back to him.

He couldn't help but stand there and stare as the water glistened as it ran off of her armor; she was just so…beautiful. Slowly Optimus looked her body up and down taking into account the way her shoulder plates sat perfectly level, the way her hips gently curved, the tight firmness to her aft…the look of death written on her face plate, wait WHAT?

Optimus looked up suddenly to see StarRacer staring him down. Optimus hesitated and smiled sheepishly. StarRacer turned to him and crossed her arms.

"You've got a lot of nerve to come in here Optimus."

Optimus was quiet and couldn't help but watch a stream of water run down StarRacer's armor and across and below her waist. "OPTIMUS!"

Optimus looked up immediately to face a raging femme. StarRacer growled. "My face plate is up here!"

Optimus again smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Sorry, I was just—."

StarRacer interrupted abruptly. "What do you want Optimus?"

Optimus' smile faded as he sighed. "I wanted to apologize."

StarRacer looked up and scowled. "For what, telling me that I can't hold my own against Decepticons, or making me feel like I'm not good for anything else other than making and caring for sparklings and being an interface toy for you!"

Optimus was taken beck by this, he stepped back and scowled. "Now hold on, I never thought of you as being an object for my own pleasure and second, I never said that the only thing you were good for was creating sparklings!"

StarRacer glared heavily and turned away. "That's what it sure sounded like with that last statement you said before you left."

Optimus looked around confused. "What statement?"

StarRacer wheeled around and threw her servos in the air. "Oh like you don't remember! The whole thing about how you're acting Prime and you order me to stay behind to look after StarChaser!"

Optimus glared back and scowled through his visor. "So what are you saying StarRacer, you don't love your own daughter enough to stay at the base and—."

StarRacer wheeled around and screamed. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT I DON'T LOVE HER! I'VE LOVED HER SINCE THE DAY SHE WAS BORN, WHICH IS MORE THAN I CAN SAY FOR YOU!"

Optimus turned away abruptly throwing his servos in the air. "OH AND HERE WE GO AGAIN WITH THE WHOLE 'I-WASN'T-THERE' THING…I TOLD YOU STARRACER, IF I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE I WOULD HAVE!"

StarRacer tried to walk away screaming. "YEAH RIGHT, LIKE YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE, YOU HAD YOUR HEAD SO FAR UP YOUR AFT, THAT YOU WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE HER IN FRONT OF YOU!"

Optimus lurched out and grabbed StarRacer by the arm. "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING STARRACER?"

StarRacer wheeled back around and was about to scream, but stopped herself and took a few moments to calm herself before she began to speak. "What I'm TRYING to say Optimus, is that even if you _knew_ we were having a child, you wouldn't have given up the Elite Guard to be a father, you and I both know that!"

Optimus, now more calm then before continued to stare darkly through his visor. "And how do YOU know what I would or wouldn't done?"

StarRacer shook her head and scowled. "Because I know you and—!"

Optimus shot back abruptly. "YOU know ME? HA, yeah…you knew me…FOR ONE NIGHT! You don't know me StarRacer, so how would you know I wouldn't have come?"

"**AAARRRRRRRGGGGHHH! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!"** StarRacer tried to pull away before turning and facing Optimus in a rage. **"LET GO OF ME!"**

Optimus looked away furious. "FINE YOU WANT ME TO LET GO…**I'LL LET GO!**"

As soon as Optimus let go StarRacer stumbled back a few steps and glared harshly. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY I CAME HERE ANYMORE!" StarRacer screamed out of anger and frustration and stormed out of the cleaning facilities. Optimus followed obviously out of anger and was trying to stir the fight more.

"WELL FINE, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE HERE ANYMORE THEN JUST LEAVE!"

StarRacer turned abruptly and screamed. "FINE MAYBE I WILL!"

Optimus threw his servos up in frustration. "GOOD, ONE LESS MOUTH TO REFEUL!"

StarRacer turned around more angry then last time. "FINE!"

Optimus turned and tried to walk away but StarRacer yelled back. "OH AND FOR THE RECORD OPTIMUS… YOU'RE TERRIBLE AT INTERFACING!"

Optimus stopped and had to catch himself from losing his temper. StarRacer crossed her arms and smiled terribly.

"What's that matter Optimus, did I hit a _sensitive_ circuit?"

Optimus clenched his fists trying to keep his temper that now was beginning to slip. StarRacer laughed slightly. "Or are you just having a hard time excepting the truth?"

Just then…Optimus blew up.

"**FINE, IF BEING ANY GOOD IN THE BERTH IS ALL THAT MATTERS TO YOU THEN WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO AND FIND YOURSELF ANOTHER MECH! I'M THROUGH WITH YOU! YOU HEAR ME! I! AM! DONE!"**

StarRacer froze in shock and took a few steps back. "W-What are saying Optimus?"

Letting his cooling systems catch up with him, Optimus turned away and was silent before looking back out of the corner of his optic.

"I'm saying it's over StarRacer…"

Optimus started to walk away. StarRacer hesitated but ran up and grabbed his arm. "Optimus wait! Now let's just think about this for a moment…I-I mean we have to think about StarChaser here and I now you and I may be different but we can always find a way to work things out between us and—."

Optimus put his servo up in front of StarRacer. "StarRacer, forget it…. it's too late. You and I, we're just…too different."

StarRacer looked around in confusion. "But Optimus, we're spark mates…we can't split apart! That would be against Cybertronian law!"

Optimus turned away and remained silent.

StarRacer froze and looked away more hurt then angry. "So I guess…that's it then…"

StarRacer struggled to hold back the tears starting to build up behind her optics. "…I'll just go then."

Optimus turned away and StarRacer slowly started for the door but turned around slowly. "Tell StarChaser that I love her for me…"

There was a moment of silence between the two before Optimus finally said something. "No I can't do that."

StarRacer stopped and turned around. "What are you talking about, first you scream at me to leave, and now you're telling me to stay?"

Optimus sighed and stepped forward. "As much trouble as you and I may be having, that still doesn't give the excuse for StarChaser to have BOTH of her parents."

StarRacer paused and crossed her arms. "So what you're saying is you want me to _PRETEND_ that you and I are true spark mates and that we LOVE each other very much?"

Optimus shook his head solemnly. StarRacer shrugged. "So I'm also guessing that according to StarChaser, this fight never happened?"

Optimus nodded. "That's correct."

StarRacer sighed and turned away. "Optimus, I don't know that I can do that."

Optimus mumbled something and turned to StarRacer. "Then what do you want me to—!"

Optimus stopped as he noticed StarRacer was standing so still; frozen with fear, that she almost looked like a statue. Optimus walked up next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"StarRacer, what's wrong?"

StarRacer mouthed something in horror that Optimus didn't quite catch at first. Optimus turned his head slightly. "What?"

StarRacer grabbed his face and turned it in the direction in which she was looking and whispered. "StarChaser."

StarChaser was standing in the hallway watching horrified with a stream of tears running down her face plate. Both Optimus and StarRacer stood motionless watching the child who was watching them. StarChaser was holding the large teddy-bear that Sari had given her a few years ago, but now it was stained with tears. StarChaser looked up and whimpered and cried before throwing the bear down and running past Optimus and StarRacer out of the base and into the night.

Optimus turned abruptly trying to catch StarChaser before she ran out but failed. "STARCHASER WAIT, COME BACK!"

Optimus ran after her out of the base. Once he was outside the base, he looked around hoping for a sign of movement somewhere in the night…but there was nothing but blackness. StarChaser was gone.

StarRacer ran out of the base and stopped abruptly next to Optimus. "Which way did she go?"

Optimus looking around terrified. "I don't know, she ran off too quickly for me to see where she went."

StarRacer stared at Optimus horrified. "What? Optimus how could you?"

Optimus glared at StarRacer unsettlingly. "Look StarRacer if I could have caught her I would have, but she slipped through my hand, okay?"

Optimus shook his head and groaned. "Look, StarRacer we need to stop fighting! If we want any chance at all of finding StarChaser we need to work together!"

StarRacer was silent for a few moments before turning back to Optimus nodding. "Okay, what did you have in mind?"

Immediately Optimus turned to his comm. link and opened a frequency. "Prime to Ratchet, do you copy?"

Just then a comm. link opened and Ratchet's voice was heard_**. 'Ratchet to Prime: I copy what's the problem?'**_

Optimus looked over at StarRacer who was shaking. "StarChaser ran off. Where is the crew?"

Ratchet's voice was silent for a moment before coming back and sounding a little shaky. _**'We're all here Prime.'**_

Optimus looked away from StarRacer and toward the city. "Okay Ratchet here's your instructions…"

Meanwhile on the outskirts of city limits where the highway passed into the northern forests; a small red and blue race car like vehicle raced down the highway. It was small, more alien then Earth and sounded like it was sobbing.

"_How could mom and dad say those things to each other? And why, WHY did I have to get up and get a drink of oil just as they started fighting? They didn't even realize I was standing there listening the whole time!"_

StarChaser raced down the highway right past a sleeping highway patrolman. He shot up from out of his sleep and saw a cloud of dust left behind. Slamming on the gas, the patrolman began his pursuit.

StarChaser looked in a rear view mirror and saw the flashing strobe lights and heard a siren blaring.

"Oh NO, it's the police! Dad must have called Fanzone and told him that I'd disappeared, and now they're chasing after me! Well…I'm not going back."

StarChaser slammed on her gas and tried to outrun the pursuing patrolman.

The patrolman watched in awe as this strange vehicle he had never seen before raced away with a tremendous amount of speed. StarChaser wasn't going to get caught by the police because she knew that Fanzone would recognize her in her robot form and would take her back to the base, wait a nano-click, robot form? That's it! StarChaser suddenly realized that no one knows she had learned how to transform yet, therefore no one knows what her vehicle form looks like, so in other words the only way they could track her is by her Autobot signal but being this far out in the woods on a tar road would make tracking difficult for Teletran one. So than that would lead little StarChaser to assume that this patrol car wasn't chasing her because she was an Autobot runaway, it was chasing her because she was going fifty miles over the legal speed limit!

StarChaser looked in her rear view mirror and sure enough the car was still fallowing.

"_I can't let him catch me, if I do…and he finds out that there's no human in my interior…he'll call in reinforcements…which could mean Fanzone coming…I can't take that chance…I'm NOT going back!"_

Suddenly StarChaser veered off the road and into a ditch. She barreled through the trees and brush until she snagged herself into a puddle of mud. Using her mirrors to see what caught her; she looked down.

"_Oh well that's just great, I got stuck in the mud!"_

StarChaser then used her rear view to see just by how much she ventured off the road. To her astonishment, she actually drove the length of two human football fields. Not bad for a sparkling with no off-roading tires. Just then a light was coming from a distance; it was the patrolman.

StarChaser immediately transformed and hid behind a large sage brush and watched in utter most silence. The patrolman fallowed the tracks left by the runaway 'CAR' until the tracks stopped in the mud. The patrolman looked around with his flash light in astonishment.

"Well that's just downright strange…a car just can't get up and walk—."

The patrolman froze as his flash-light ran over a set of strange tracks leading from the mud into the brush. StarChaser froze in horror and remained as still as possible. The patrolman pointed his flash-light toward the brush and started to approach. StarChaser covered her mouth and tried not to move as she repeated in her head.

'_Oh no! Oh no! He's going to find me! I'm doomed!' _

Just then over the patrolman's walkie-talkie, a dispatcher's voice rang out.

'_**Attention all units, we've got a bank robbery in progress on the corner of Eastern Boulevard and Warren Avenue, requesting all available personnel.'**_

The patrolman brought the walkie-talkie to his mouth and spoke. "Ten-four, my estimated ETA is ten minutes."

The patrolman pointed the flash-light at the brush and mumbled. "Ever since those robots showed up, things have been getting weirder and weirder all the time."

The patrolman shook his head and laughed before rushing back up the trail of broken debris and speeding out in his patrol car. StarChaser sighed heavily and sank down into the brush; relieved.

"Okay that was close…TOO CLOSE!"

StarChaser hit herself in the forehead. "Pull another circuit-headed stunt like that again and they'll catch you!"

StarChaser sat cross-legged on the forest floor and began to look around. "Wow, this place sure looks different at night…"

She sat silent for a moment until the breeze brushed through the trees and a hoot of an owl rang out from an unknown location. StarChaser ducked down and quivered at all the strange new sounds. "…and scarier too."

StarChaser covered her optics and tried to think. "Okay, okay don't panic, don't panic… everything is the same as it is in the day…yeah…everything is the same."

Suddenly a high pitched scream not from a human rang through the trees. StarChaser froze and looked around. "OKAY THAT WAS NOT HUMAN!"

With her servos trembling uncontrollably she tried to stand up. "W-What w-was t-t-that?"

Without warning the bushes behind her started to rattle. She wheeled around in horror and yelled. "OKAY, YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME! COME ON I DON'T HAVE ALL NIGHT! BRING IT ON!"

Just then a rabbit jumped out looked up at StarChaser and hopped away. StarChaser watched dumbfounded but then looked down at her servos and laughed.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! You dumb sparkling! You were afraid of a little rabbit! Sheesh, you're worse than Sentinel!"

StarChaser started to walk away and talk to herself. "Okay, you don't have to be afraid. True, there are some new sounds you've never heard before, but they're just animals of Earth that come out at night instead of the day."

StarChaser entered a vast clearing that appeared to be a prairie similar to the one she, Sari and Ratchet and been in before. She looked around and sighed. "Wow, everything sure looks different."

She looked around and then a flash of light in the sky caught her optic. She looked up and was captured in astonishment and awe. The sky was so clear! And there were SO MANY STARS! She had never seen so many, at least not in the city.

She put her hands on her hips and smiled. "Wow! I can see now why Prowl likes nature so much! It's all so beautiful!"

Suddenly she heard a loud croak. She wheeled around and looked behind her but didn't see anything, not even with a full moon to guide her sight. Then she heard the croak again. She wheeled back around and rubbed her head dumbfounded. "Where is that sound coming from?"

Just then another crock was heard, and another, and another, and another along with several higher and lower croaks. StarChaser stood in the middle of the prairie looking in all directions. The sounds were coming from all around her. She froze and burst out laughing.

"I KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE! THEY'RE FROGS!"

StarChaser suddenly remembered some of the stuff Sari had told her when she first arrived on Earth. One of the things she remembered Sari talking about was the wildlife on Earth, particularly frogs because StarChaser had been so fascinated by them.

StarChaser sat down and lay back in the grass just watching the stars and listened to the orchestra of frogs nearby which soon was joined by other sounds like crickets, owls, bats and even an occasional coyote howl. All of it looked and sounded so beautiful. How could she have been afraid of this place? Just then she thought about her mom and dad and how they fought earlier. Just thinking about it made her optics tear up. She then shook the thought out of her processor and looked back to the stars.

"Primus, if you're out there…I need your help…"

A meteor shot across the sky leaving a trail of greens and blues. StarChaser smiled and listened to the sounds of the night. It was so nice and relaxing to be out here…alone…away from civilization…away from all the troubles of the universe…and to just not have a care in the world at that moment. The cool grass felt good on her armor. She laid there smiling and humming with her arms folded under her head until finally she found herself drifting into stasis.

Maybe just for one night, she could find the peace she had so desperately sought out.

As the sun rose over the eastern horizon, it's rays casted over the forests outside Detroit including a lonely prairie dotted out in the middle of nowhere with no immediate trail leading back to civilization. Our little sparkling, StarChaser, lay in the grass sound asleep, dreaming about things that amuse young female sparklings. A drop of fresh morning dew dribbled down a blade of grass onto StarChaser's faceplate. She flinched and yawned as the cold water trickled down her cheek plate. She struggled to open her optics at first but was delighted by the warm rays of sun shining down on her armor. Sitting up, StarChaser stretched and yawned and took into account her surroundings and froze in astonishment. The prairie was dotted with purple and white flowers EVERYWHERE! And on top of that, a light breeze caused a sweet scented aroma to drift across the air. It was sweet, tender delight to StarChaser's sensitive factory sensors. It was even better then the smell of oil in the morning!

Suddenly StarChaser went a blank. Oil? She hit her forehead and looked down at her fuel tank. She hadn't refueled since last night and the nearest fuel station is back in Detroit! And her tank was indicating it wanted fuel…now. But how was she supposed to survive out here on her own without oil?

StarChaser thought about it for a moment but shrugged it off. "Oh well, I don't need oil RIGHT now, do I?"

StarChaser rose to her stabilizing servos and started walking through the long grass, but stopped and watched as a heard of female moose and their calves grazed in the meadow. She watched in awe as the little calves played and nursed. But the sight that caught her attention was a calf straying from its mother toward her. StarChaser, trying to be slow and quiet, fell gently to her knees and reach out a servo. The calf being as equally slow approached carefully and sniffed her servo before licking it. She couldn't help but laugh…but she wasn't laughing when she saw the bull. A large male stood tall and proud across the meadow on a hill that rose just before the tree line. He stood watching StarChaser's ever move. StarChaser remained still and let the calf continue to lick her servo, unknowing of the bull watching. The male snorted and scrapped a hoof in the dirt. StarChaser didn't know what that meant but she wasn't going to wait to find out. StarChaser slowly rose to her stabilizing servo and began backing away. That's when the bull charged. StarChaser screamed and bolted in the other direction with the bull pursuing her. She sprinted to the tree line and cried out loud.

"WHY IS EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING CHASING ME?"

As soon as she reached the tree line, she bolted up into the closest tree, praying to Primus that moose can't climb. The bull slid to a halt just behind her and rammed into the tree causing the whole trunk to vibrate. StarChaser as far as the fourth limb and looked down. The bull stood there looking up. StarChaser huffed and laughed out of victory.

"HA, what's the matter you dumb moose? You can't climb?"

The bull merely snorted and walked back in the direction of the meadow. StarChaser watched and laughed.

"YEAH THAT'S RIGHT YA' BIG DUMB MOOSE, GO BACK TO YOUR GIRLFRIENDS! YEAH! I TOTALLY OWNED YOU! YOU HEAR ME MOOSE? I OWNED YOU!"

StarChaser continued to yell long after the moose was gone and laughed in victory. Then…something cracked. StarChaser froze instantly.

"Uh-oh."

The branch snapped and StarChaser crashed to the forest floor. After laying on the ground moaning and cursing to herself, StarChaser sat up and rubbed her head.

"Oh man, the morning began perfectly, but now it's the pits."

StarChaser looked around the forest and sighed miserably. "Can this day get any worse?"

Just then a white creamy substance bombed StarChaser in the head. StarChaser flinched and looked up furiously only to see a pair of birds sitting in the tree just above her. She looked down and groaned miserably. "I stand corrected."

At the Decepticon base, Megatron sat upon his throne caught in a trance, not listening to the fight progressing between Lugnut and Blitzwing.

Blitzwing's more 'temper'-some personality seemed to be causing Lugnut some frustration. "I say ve take de Autobots down now and crush them fow good!"

Lugnut slammed a servo down in disagreement. "Our glorious leader will make that decision, NOT you Blitzwing!"

Blitzwing also slammed down a servo in disagreement. "It has been nearly too solar-cycles since ve last attacked dhose accursed Autobots! When are ve going to launch anozar attack already?"

Blitzwing's face plate changed from 'temper' to 'psycho'. "Oh zay, I've been meaning to teach that 'two left stabilizing servos' Autobot in yellow a shing or two in dancing! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Lugnut smoked Blitzwing in the head thus knocking him to the floor. "We need to have a battle strategy Blitzwing, NOT a dancing lesson!"

Lugnut and Blitzwing continued to bicker as Megatron sat on his throne watching in annoyance. Suddenly on the monitors and satellite feeds, a small flashing blip came on to the screen. Everyone presently in the room stopped and looked to the monitors. Megatron stood up and growled.

"Blitzwing, status report…"

Blitzwing passed a glance to Lugnut then approached the monitors. His face switched to 'sane' as he looked at the readings. "Lord Megatron, the sensors are detecting traces of All-spark energy less zhan thirty miles from our current position."

Megatron approached. "Is it an All-Spark fragment?"

Blitzwing enhanced the readings and stepped back in astonishment. "No, then energy signal appears to be consistent with zhat of an Autobot."

Lugnut burst out laughing. "Those Autobot fools! They come all this way to challenge us! And one is alone in fact!"

Megatron stood silent with the same 'non-enthused' expression he always has and watched the screen.

"Blitzwing, is Lockdown still on Earth?"

Blitzwing nodded and looked to the monitors. After a few seconds of searching, he turned back."Yes my Lord."

Megatron smiled fiendishly. "Good, send him a message saying we've got a runaway Autobot that needs…'_assistance_' and that the bounty will be worth while."

Blitzwing smiled and nodded as he turned to the monitors preparing for message transport. "As you vish my Lord."

A few hours later, StarChaser tromped tiredly through the brush and branches. She was covered in mud, grass, and Primus knows what else. She stopped, looked to the sky and sighed miserably falling backwards to the ground.

"Sparklings weren't built for this kind of terrain!"

After a few minutes of just laying there she sat up and whimpered. "What the frag am I doing out here? I've been chased by a patrol car, I've been scared out of my wits by animals in the night, I've been chased by a mad moose, I've gotten bird…stuff on my head, I'm caked with mud and who knows what else, AND I'VE BEEN GOING IN CIRCLES FOR AT LEAST FOUR HOURS! SERIOUSLY, CAN THIS DAY GET ANY WORSE!"

Just then the bushes rattled behind her. Tired she turned around and glared. "Look _rabbit_, if you think you're going to scare me you've got another thing coming."

Slowly a tall figure emerged from the brush and laughed. "I don't know what a rabbit is, but I can assure you, I'm not one."

StarChaser stood up and backed away quickly until stopped by a tree. It was a large green, black and white mech with spikes, red optics and a hook for a hand. StarChaser remembered Ratchet talking about him. It was Lockdown, a bounty hunter…a DECEPTICON bounty hunter. He hunted Autobots in exchange for mods and upgrades, she had heard about how Lockdown stripped certain bots of mods and now it looked like StarChaser was next in line.

Lockdown laughed. "Oh, look at the little sparkling, she doesn't know whether to cower or run."

Lockdown had one thing right, StarChaser didn't know whether to cower or run because her 'fight-or-flight' response wasn't working and she was frozen stiff. She stood against the trunk of the tree in horror. Lockdown laughed and knelled down getting optic to optic with StarChaser.

"So… what's a little Autobot like you doing all-the-way out here by yourself? Don't you know that this is _Decepticon_ territory?"

StarChaser froze and looked up in horror. "D-Decepticon…territory?"

Lockdown laughed and opened a comm. link frequency. "Lockdown to Megatron, I have your Autobot."

Through Lockdown's audio receptor, StarChaser could here that horribly familiar voice.

'_**Megatron to Lockdown: which Autobot did you apprehend?'**_

Lockdown looked down and smiled. "Well, let's just say it's no Autobot I've ever seen before."

Megatron almost seem to yell. _**"What? What do you mean 'Autobot that you've never seen before?'**_

Lockdown laughed. "Well, Megatron, she looks like she's still pretty young yet."

There was a long pause of silence until Megatron's low laugh rang through the link. _**"Bring the child to me and you will be greatly rewarded…"**_

The comm. link cut out and there was a long moment of silence. Lockdown shut his end off and turned to StarChaser smiling. "Looks like you're coming with me kid."

StarChaser hesitated and slowly started to back up. "Yeah, I would but see here's the thing…I…I uh, am…LATE FOR A MEDIC APPOINTMENT! Yeah that's it! I'm late for a medic appointment…so…GOTTA GO!"

StarChaser turned and tried to run but found that she was going nowhere. She turned around and looked only to see she was being held in place by a hook with Lockdown smiling fiendishly.

"Oh, I think your _appointment_ can wait."

Lockdown swept StarChaser off her stabilizing servos and threw her over his shoulder. StarChaser screamed and yelled.

"Hey! Put me down! My dad is going to beat you so bad that you'll be seeing stars for stellar-cycles!"

Lockdown looked over his shoulder and smirked through the corner of his optic. "I highly doubt that."

Without warning the air started up. The trees waved and leaves flew in all directions. Lockdown looked up still holding the child only to see a shadow slowly descend from the sky and landed feet away from the two. It was Starscream…with that same…stuck up…evil grin.

Starscream smiled and crossed his arms. "Well, well, well…if it isn't the _notorious_ bounty hunter Lockdown…"

Lockdown put StarChaser down by his stabilizing servos and held her by the arm. Starscream watched and smiled.

"…Oh Lockdown, shame on you…you're going after sparklings now? What's the matter, that glitch-head Megatron not paying you as good as he used to?"

StarChaser struggled but Lockdown held her steady and watched Starscream with both optics. "What do you want Starscream?"

Starscream looked down at the struggling sparkling who in turn froze. "I want the sparkling."

Lockdown pushed StarChaser behind him and growled. "And what makes you think I'm going to give up possibly one of my biggest pay-days yet?"

Starscream suddenly raised his arm-mounted guns and grinned evilly. "I have ways of persuading bots into giving me what I want…"

Lockdown growled and stared coldly. "Just try and take her Starscream…"

Immediately Starscream fired at Lockdown only to be blocked by and arm-mounted shield. Lockdown lunged at Starscream and a servo to servo fight broke out. StarChaser watched as the two passed punches and kicks to one another and slowly slinked away. Lockdown was inches from driving his hook into Starscream's armor but stopped. Starscream kicked him off and was about to blast him.

Lockdown threw up a hand. "WAIT!"

Starscream paused and yelled. "What, are you about to cry for mercy?"

Lockdown shot up and pointed. "NO THE SPARKLING'S GONE!"

Sure enough, the spot in which Lockdown left StarChaser was empty with a set of tracks leading away. Lockdown jumped up and peeled out after StarChaser in the direction of the tracks. Starscream hesitated but raced out after Lockdown. StarChaser on the other hand was veering in and out of trees and brush. Lockdown sprinted at full bore speed with Starscream right behind him. Starscream activated his boosters and flew through the trees.

"GIVE IT UP LOCKDOWN; I'M GOING TO GET HER FIRST!"

StarChaser ran into a clearing and sprinted. Lockdown saw her and followed and within seconds tackled her to the ground. She struggled but Lockdown held her down.

Lockdown lifted her off the ground and held her just in front of his face plate. "Thought you could get away from me? Well guess what kid, you thought wrong."

Suddenly Starscream landed abruptly pointing his guns. "Okay Lockdown, I've had enough toying around! Give me the sparkling and I may spare your life!"

Just then cannon fire flew past Starscream catching him off guard. Starscream whipped around only to see Megatron with Lugnut and Blitzwing.

Megatron stood with his cannon raised high. "Starscream…step away from the sparkling or die."

There was a long silence until Starscream laughed and stepped back. "You won this round you over glorified coward…but next time you won't be so lucky."

Then without warning Starscream transformed into his hairier jet form and disappeared into the sky.

Megatron watched and growled. "That traitor will get what's coming to him…eventually."

Megatron then turned to Lockdown and grinned evilly. "Lockdown, I believe you have something that I want."

Lockdown held StarChaser up by the neck plate and grinned. "She's all yours…for a price."

Megatron smiled evilly and pulled a strange device from Lugnut's grasp. "Will this do?"

Suddenly Megatron pressed a button on the device and seemed to disappear then reappear. Lockdown smiled and nodded. "That will do just fine."

Lockdown smiled and passed StarChaser to Megatron as Megatron handed over the device. StarChaser tried to yell, fight and struggle, but Megatron held her firmly. Lockdown looked up and nodded before transforming and disappearing across the meadow and into the tree line.

Megatron looked down and smiled that same uneasy smile that had haunted StarChaser since the last time they crossed paths. StarChaser cringed and tried to pull away but Megatron just pulled her that much closer.

He smiled fiendishly and chuckled deeply. "What's the matter little one, did you miss me?"

CHAPTER 12

It was nearing evening on the streets of Detroit and the Autobots were exhausted from hours of non-stop searching and to make matters worse, a storm was rolling in.

Bumblebee was sitting in traffic waiting for a long line of cars to start moving again. He opened his comm. link and moaned.

"Bumblebee to Prime, boss bot we've been searching for StarChaser for almost the entire day and it's getting late; can't we call it quits?"

Suddenly Ratchet's voice broke in. _**"Kid what's the matter with you? This isn't just Prime and StarRacer's daughter we're talking about here, this is a fellow Autobot; one of our own, and we're not going to give up until we find her! Understand?"**_

Bumblebee seemed to shrug even in his vehicle mode. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry…you're right! Star is one of our own and I won't stop until we find her!"

Meanwhile across the city, Optimus and StarRacer had heard Bumblebee but continued to search frantically. Optimus transformed and cuffed his hands around his mouth.

"STARCHASER WHERE ARE YOU?"

StarRacer transformed and sank to the ground in tears. Optimus turned and kneeled down next her.

"StarRacer, what is it? What's wrong?"

StarRacer looked up with tears swelling from her optics. "Optimus, we're NEVER going to find her!"

StarRacer threw herself into Optimus' arms and completely broke down. "It's all my fault! If I wouldn't have gotten mad at you and if I wouldn't have started that fight none of this would have happened!"

Optimus sat next to StarRacer and embraced her in his arms. She pushed her face plate into his chest plate and cried. He rested his chin on her head and remained silent; just letting her cry. Optimus then pulled her face up and looked at her.

"StarRacer, listen to me…that fight was not your fault, okay, it was mine. I was the one ordering you around and you had every right to get angry and… I'm sorry. And you were right about the whole 'fixing the problem rather than running from it' thing. We should have tried to work things out rather than me just calling it quits. It's like you said before…once spark mates…always spark mates."

StarRacer looked up and saw Optimus smile lovingly. She sighed and looked away. Optimus sighed and pulled her closer.

"I do love you StarRacer…more than anything. And I DO want to be with you."

StarRacer looked up and shook her head. "So what…now that you and I made up, StarChaser will come running back? Optimus, us making up isn't going to get our daughter back…you know that right?"

Optimus looked down and nodded. "I know, but I'm willing to search as long as it takes…and I won't give up until I find her, that I promise."

StarRacer looked up and smiled sheepishly before slapping Optimus lightly on the cheek plate. Optimus held his face and looked at StarRacer dumbfounded. She smiled and rubbed against Optimus.

"You better find her…or I'll—."

Optimus laughed and sighed. "I know, I know, you'll blame me."

StarRacer cringed and looked away. "No…"

Optimus looked at her both curiously and worried. StarRacer looked at him again with tears again swelling. "We better find her Optimus, or I'll never be able to forgive myself…"

Optimus watched with his spark aching as StarRacer turned away crying. Optimus moved closer and again took her into his arms.

"I promise…we WILL find her…no matter what it takes."

Back at the forest, StarChaser was throwing a fit. Megatron had her by the arm and was literally dragging her along.

StarChaser looked up and screamed and kicked. "Let me go you big dumb Decepticons, let me go! Where are you taking me?"

Megatron merely passed a glance over his massive shoulder and continued to walk toward the carbon mines. Within a few hours the Decepticons stopped by a massive iron door. Megatron stepped forward and flashed a security key and the door unlocked. Megatron then pulled the helpless sparkling along and through a long dark and purple tinted corridor into a large room with monitors and a massive throne with a Decepticon symbol. This had to be the Decepticon base!

StarChaser stopped and looked around in awe and disbelief. This was the Decepticon base…FOR REAL! But why would they bring her here? Wouldn't they be worried about her spilling the location when she went back…that is…if she went back. Megatron yanked her forward toward the throne on the other side of the room. It almost seemed like Megatron was more dragging her along than anything else.

He eventually stopped and released StarChaser from his grasp and sank into his throne. StarChaser stood alone in the center of the room facing the leader of the Decepticons…without protection…without hope.

Megatron sat upon his throne and stared down on the child coldly and motioned toward the floor in front of him. "Sit."

StarChaser glanced behind over her shoulder and saw Blitzwing and Lugnut guarding the exit…the ONLY exit. Megatron chuckled. "You are not going to escape child, so I suggest you obey what you are told. Now sit."

Again Megatron motioned the floor in front of him. StarChaser looked at the floor then glanced at Megatron through her visor. His expression remained the same and no words were said. StarChaser sighed heavily and sat down without objection.

Megatron grinned and nodded. "Now, why don't to tell me as to why I have found you within my domain."

StarChaser remained silent and looked away. Megatron sat forward and rested an arm on his knee. "Now listen child, we can proceed with this discussion the easy way…or the hard way. It's your choice."

StarChaser remained silent. Blitzwing stepped forward cracking his metallic fists. "You know my Lord, ve could alvays MAKE her talk."

Megatron held up a hand and shook his head. "That will not be necessary Blitzwing…you see…I have a better idea."

Megatron then rose to his stabilizing servos and ventured over to a pile of barrels by the monitors. Taking two into his hands, he ventured back to his throne and reseated himself. Setting one barrel on the floor, he took the other and opened it. The aroma of oil suddenly drifted throughout the room. StarChaser froze and watched the barrel of oil. Megatron watched her optics as he moved the barrel from one hand to the other. He stopped and rested the barrel by his lips and chuckled.

"What's the matter little one has it been long since you refueled?" Megatron then rested the barrel's lid and his lips and took a drink.

StarChaser's lips trembled and her glossa ventured across her lips. The smell of that oil was so intoxicating. Megatron watched as the child struggled to keep herself from lunging at the oil in his hand.

He laughed and smiled evilly as he motioned the other barrel next to him. "Now, this is how it is going to work…I will give you this other barrel of oil if you tell me everything I wish to know…fair enough?"

StarChaser paused and thought about it. Would it really hurt her if she told him? Would it be bad if the Decepticon leader knew about her mom?

Megatron sat patiently for only a few moments before clenching his fists. "You have a limited time to decide child, so choose carefully."

StarChaser thought about it before shaking her head slightly. Her tank needed fuel and she was going to take what she could get.

She looked up at the Decepticon leader and nodded slowly. He smiled fiendishly before reaching down and picking up the barrel. "I knew you would see things my way…"

Megatron held the barrel out toward StarChaser. She stood still, watching Megatron blankly. He looked down at the barrel and then back. "I will not strike child…just take it."

StarChaser swallowed hard and began to approach. She carefully reached forward and took the barrel from Megatron's massive hand and returned to her spot on the floor. Quickly she almost seemed to rip the top off the barrel and chug it down. Megatron watched and grinned.

"Now, let's try this again. Tell me as to why I have found you within my domain."

Taking a break from her sweet and much needed oil, she looked up and shrugged. "I got lost."

Megatron tilted his head. "How did you get lost? Your father usually places a guardian with you does he not?"

StarChaser looked away and shrugged. "I didn't have a guardian because…because… I ran away."

Megatron leaned forward. "And why did you do this?"

StarChaser looked up and glared. "And why should I tell you?"

Megatron smiled and motioned toward the barrel of oil. "Do you wish to keep that in your possession?"

StarChaser glared and pulled the oil closer to her chest plate. "Okay, you made your point clear."

StarChaser sighed and looked at her stabilizing servos. "My-my mom and dad are fighting, okay, and I just couldn't take it anymore."

StarChaser became quiet and looked away thus hiding her face plate Megatron looked over to Blitzwing and Lugnut and motioning toward the door. "Leave us."

Lugnut nodded and motioned for Blitzwing to follow. With slight uncertainty Blitzwing hesitated but eventually follows. They left closing two massive steel doors behind them. StarChaser looked up and watched as both Blitzwing and Lugnut left. She then turned around and saw Megatron sitting on the edge of his seat looking at StarChaser; smiling.

He pointed to her and motioned her over with a wave of his hand. "Come closer little one."

She sat there frozen in both fear and awe. "Do I really look that stupid to you?"

Megatron growled and pointed to his feet "Come. Here"

StarChaser smirked and held up a finger. "Ah-ah-ah, what's the magic word?"

Megatron stared coldly and growled more loudly. "NOW!"

StarChaser flinched and hesitated. _"Sheesh this guy's got and even shorter temper then Ratchet!"_

She bowed her head down and slowly started forward " 'Kay."

She stopped right in front of the Decepticon leader and looked up. Compared to him she was nothing. He was so massive in size and strength; she was so small and weak.

Megatron then lowered his mass and extended and hand out toward her. Out of sheer instinct she flinched and covered her face but looked up in surprise when she felt a large hand rest upon her back plate. She looked up and saw Megatron looking down upon her with a poised face plate.

He looked at her and spoke. "Now child, tell me as to why your creators are fighting."

StarChaser looked away and remained quiet for a long time. How could she tell _**him**_ above all bots about that…but then again… considering how long she's held it in… how could she not?

Tears began streaming from her optics as she looked back up at Megatron. "They got into a huge fight…about what exactly I'm not sure…but all I know is that my dad and mom are calling it quits and that my mom may be going back to Cybertron! Then my dad wanted my mom to pretend that they never fought at all so that I wouldn't find out…but I overheard everything! So…I ran away."

She then burst into tears and wept helplessly. Megatron just sat there in a dumbfounded daze not knowing what to say. He didn't know anything about sparklings and didn't WANT to know anything…but considering this child was his enemy's, he could use this child to his advantage. But still, a crying sparkling…not something he wants.

StarChaser was crying so hard that she couldn't even stand up and ended up falling against Megatron's massive chest plate. He flinched not knowing whether to pull away or remain still. StarChaser looked up and sniffled but suddenly pulled away thus realizing what she had done.

"Sorry, I uh—."

Megatron merely grinned and chuckled in a strange evil way. "It helps to tell someone about burning troubles within, does it not?"

StarChaser turned away and shrugged. "I guess."

Megatron slowly rose from his throne and approached StarChaser. "You know, it is quite funny…"

StarChaser looked up and saw Megatron standing next to her. She sniffled as she looked up. "What is?"

Megatron crossed his arms and shook his head. "It is a shame that your sire and creator couldn't stop their bickering long enough to see you and your needs…"

Megatron looked down at the child who was staring at the floor. Megatron grinned and continued. "…now if you were within _Decepticon_ ranks, that would never have happened."

StarChaser flinched and looked up. "Decepticon ranks? But I'm an Autobot!"

Megatron sighed and looked away. "True, but was that of your own choice?"

StarChaser again turned away and was silent. Megatron laughed to himself and continued. "Or were you born as an Autobot?"

Again StarChaser remained silent. Megatron knelt to the ground on one knee and raised StarChaser up onto his raised knee. She stared at Megatron timidly only to receive a mischievous smile in return.

"Child, you cannot tell me that you haven't at least CONSIDERED being a Decepticon for at least a day, have you not?"

StarChaser looked away thinking but eventually shrugged. "I guess I have…maybe…but dad always said that Decepticons were bad and that all they wanted was to rule over the entire universe."

Megatron sat back in an astonished state. "Well, then it appears that your sire knows nothing of Decepticon values! We do not wish to 'take-over' the universe, but merely make it a better place. The Autobots on the other hand think that it is fine in its present state."

StarChaser looked away and remained silent as Megatron spoke. "We also believe in the fact that every bot should get whatever it is that he or she may want."

Megatron looked at StarChaser from the corner of his optic, and then knelt down closer. "What about you my child, what is it that you want more than anything in this universe?"

StarChaser looked at Megatron with tears again beginning to form in her optics. "I want a functional family…you know…a mom and dad that love each other and don't fight."

Megatron looked away and smiled fiendishly. "Tell you what; I shall make you a proposal…"

StarChaser looked up and cocked her head. "What?"

Megatron looked down with the same fiendish grin on his face plate. "If for…oh say… a week… you join ranks with the Decepticons, I shall help you get your mother and father back together."

StarChaser looked up; confused. "How?"

Megatron smiled. "How else? By training you…"

StarChaser looked away dumbfounded. "How is training me going to get my parents back together?"

Megatron looked away chuckling. "Don't worry about that child; leave all the precious details to me."

Megatron raised StarChaser off of his knee and put her out in front of him. He sat on the ground and extended a hand. "So…do we have a bargain?"

StarChaser thought about it and looked up. "So…if I join your ranks for a week, you will help me get my mom and dad back together AND train me how to fight?"

Megatron nodded. "Those are the terms. Now do we have an accord or not?"

StarChaser stared at the large hand extended out to her. Making deals with a Decepticon was something her dad wouldn't agree with.

StarChaser passed an uneasy glance to Megatron. "But, what about the Autobots? They're my family!"

Megatron smiled while pushing his hand closer to StarChaser. "Let's just say for the next earth week, WE will be your family."

StarChaser again looked at the hand extended toward her before looking at her own palm. Dad would SO not agree with this…but then again…dad wasn't here, and this appeared to be the one and only sheer proof way to get both her mother and father together again.

She slowly extended her hand and put it into Megatron's palm. "I accept your terms…"

Megatron enclosed her hand in his and smiled evilly. "Welcome to the Decepticon ranks…friend."

Megatron released her hand and looked down upon her smiling. "What is your name child?"

She smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "It's StarChaser…sir."

Megatron started walking toward the large iron doors and opened then and motioned StarChaser to follow. "Now THAT name will have to go."

StarChaser jumped and ran to keep up. "What? What's wrong with my name?"

Megatron opened the doors and motioned her through. "It sounds much too…innocent. If you wish to make a mark in this vast universe you want a name that exhibits a sense of power."

StarChaser practically had to keep up with Megatron's large strides. "Okay Mr. High-and-Mighty, what kind of name do you think best fits me?"

Megatron stared blankly at her and continued to stray forward. 'Well it appears it will have to be a name that compliments your facetious side."

StarChaser jumped to try and keep up. "Like what?"

Megatron looked up and grinned. "Well it appears that you're now covering up an old part of your life with a new one, so would it not make sense but to call you Eclipse?"

StarChaser stopped and thought about it and looked at her stabilizing servos. Megatron stopped and waited.

StarChaser looked up with a mischievous grin. "I like it, it suits me perfectly."

Megatron grinned and chuckled. "Then from this day forward; your Decepticon name is Eclipse."

StarChaser (or should I say Eclipse) sprinted after Megaton who smiled to himself.

He looked to his side and Eclipse trotting beside him. "But we have to do something about those colors…NO Decepticon under my command will share the same colors as the Autobot leader."

Eclipse looked down at her armor then back to Megatron who merely grinned and continued. "You will have some of the designated Decepticon colors as long as you reside in THIS base."

Eclipse stopped as Megatron continued forward. She swallowed hard then sprinted after him.


	9. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

"_Oooooooooooo_, ve have to do somsing wis zhose antennas, zhey are so cute! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

StarChaser (now known as Eclipse) stood dumbfounded on a berth with Blitzwing attempting to repaint her armor.

Eclipse turned around to Lugnut. "Is he ALWAYS like this?"

Lugnut bowed his head with a slight nod. "His…'personality'…so to speak, varies from time to time."

Eclipse turned and passed an uneasy glance to Megatron who was standing in the shadows watching intently. Blitzwing's face suddenly shifted from 'psycho' to 'hot-headed'. He grabbed Eclipse and turned her back around as so that she was facing him.

He pointed at her and his finger almost touched her factory sensor. "Hey, you need to remain in one spot, how are ve supposed to finish zhis if you keep moving!"

Eclipse grinned and blushed. "Sorry…" She then straightened up and tried to be serious. "…Okay, continue."

Blitzwing's face again changed, but this time to his serious persona. He did several strokes of paint here and there and after fifteen minutes, stepped back to marvel his work.

He turned to Megatron and intently waited. "Vhat now Megatron?"

Megatron stepped forward and carefully overlooked the sparkling's new coat of paint, and then nodded in agreement. "It's much better than those old colors; much more Decepticon…but there are still some things missing."

Lugnut looked to Megatron confused. "Like what my liege?"

Megatron grinned and approached Eclipse. He leaned down and took something out of a side compartment. They were lenses…red tinted lenses. Eclipse passed yet another uneasy glance to Megatron who in turn just continued to grin.

He took the lens upon his thumb and gently tilted Eclipse's head backward. "If you wish to act as a Decepticon, then you must look like one…"

With just slight resist from Eclipse, Megatron managed to place both lenses in Eclipse's optics. After Megatron had succeeded, Eclipse blinked several times before looking around the room at the 'Cons watching her.

There was a moment of silence before she looked up and shrugged. "Nothing looks different."

Megatron chuckled and again knelt beside her. "You do."

Megatron then motioned toward a mirror on the wall. Eclipse from and did a double take. The sparkling she saw looked like her, but was _WAY_ different. This sparkling had purple and gray armor with traces of black, very sharp and intimidating antennas, and deep red and pink optics.

She froze and looked at her reflection for a long time until finally reaching out and caressing the mirror surface. She then pulled her hand away and looked up at Megatron.

"I-I look like…like a—."

Megatron looked down and chuckled. "Like a Decepticon? Yes it appears that you do. And yet…"

Eclipse looked back at the mirror and cocked her head. "What?"

Megatron leaned down and looked at the mirror as well. "There is still one vital component missing."

Megatron rose to his full height and left the room. Eclipse watched him leave and then turned back to the mirror with an uneasy glance. Was this really her? Is this what she will become? These questions and more rushed through her over stressed processor. Megatron returned with a small paper like thing in his hand. Eclipse watched intently as Megatron approached.

Megatron pointed to the mirror. "Turn around."

She did as instructed and watched Megatron through her reflection. He again kneeled beside her and placed the paper on her shoulder were her Autobot symbol HAD been. He gently caressed the paper against her armor. He chuckled to himself as he then started to slowly pull the paper away.

"If you truly wish to act as one of our own, then you must be marked as one of our own."

Megatron pulled the paper away to reveal a brand new and highly polished Decepticon symbol that Eclipse now bared on her shoulder plate, the same spot that at one time not so long ago bared the Autobot symbol. She looked up at Megatron who nodded to her, and she in turn nodded back to him before looking back at her reflection.

Megatron leaned in closer and whispered. "But you're not there yet…"

Megatron rose to his massive height. Eclipse turned to face him with a pair of confused optics. He sighed and laughed. "If you wish to be one of us, then you must pledge your allegiance…to me."

Eclipse looked away then back up at Megatron. "Just for a week, right? That was the deal."

Megatron looked down frowning but nodded. "Yes, only for one week. Now kneel."

Eclipse kneeled to her knees and bowed her head as Blitzwing had instructed. Megatron looked down and started.

"Do you Eclipse, daughter of an _Autobot;_ swear to pledge undying allegiance to the Decepticon cause for the next week?"

Eclipse hesitated for a long time before finally nodding slightly. "I do swear my undying allegiance to you…**Lord** Megatron."

"And do you swear to carry out the bidding of your fellow Decepticons as in the best interest of our cause?"

Again Eclipse nodded. "I do swear to carry out the bidding of my fellow Decepticons and do what is in the best interest of our cause."

Megatron grinned. "Do you accept the fate awaiting you if you so choose to betray **your** leader within the time frame of the next week?"

Eclipse swallowed hard and spoke slowly as she looked up at Megatron. "I accept the terms of a slow and painful execution if I were to disobey you…my Lord."

There was a long silence before Megatron started chuckling. "Rise Eclipse, and join your brothers and sisters in the fight against the Autobots, welcome…fellow Decepticon."

Blizwing and Lugnut then cheered from the other side of the room. Eclipse rose to her stabilizing servos and looked to Megatron who smiled fiendishly and rested a servo on her shoulder.

"For the next week child…you are one of us. You are…a Decepticon."

Megatron smiled as Blitzwing and Lugnut continued to cheer. Blitzwing's face changed to its 'psycho' state as he ran up and swept Eclipse off of her stabilizing servos.

"Eeeeee, I've alvays wanted a little a little sparkling to play vith! I get so bored sometimes, you know, no von to dance vith."

Eclipse laughed so hard, she almost burst into tears. Megatron watched intently as Eclipse fell over laughing while in Blitzwing's arms.

She fell over in his arms and lay in a cradle position. "You're really funny! Ya' know that?"

Blitzwing just stood there crazy and laughing. Eclipse looked up and cocked her head. "It's Blitzwing, right?"

Blitzwing grinned ecstatically. "Oh zeah, zhat iz my name vee vone! And don't eva fowget it!"

Optimus paced the floor outside StarChaser's room with Bumblebee and Bulkhead watching intently as their leader fought with himself whether to enter the room of not. Bumblebee sat on the floor next to Bulkhead and sighed heavily.

"Boss bot, how long has it been since StarRacer first locked herself in?"

Optimus stopped and passed an uneasy glance to the two on the floor. He sighed and sank to the floor just across from Bumblebee and Bulkhead.

"It's been over 12 hours since she first locked her inside."

Optimus pulled his knees up and put his face down and sighed heavily. Bumblebee and Bulkhead passed uneasy glances to one another before looking back at their leader who had now sprawled his stabilizing servos out in front of himself and was banging his head lightly against the wall.

"She blames herself for what happened to StarChaser…even though it really wasn't her fault…"

Optimus looked down and bit his lip out of frustration, depression and anger. "…in all reality, it was mine."

Bumblebee slid over and sat next to Optimus right as Bulkhead did the same but to the left. Bulkhead looked over Prime and mouthed 'ask-him'. Bumblebee hesitated and sighed heavily.

"Hey boss bot, listen…we were wondering…what happened exactly that made StarChaser run off?"

Optimus looked at the two sitting on either side of him before resting his head back against the wall and closing his optics. "She ran away because she overheard the argument that StarRacer and I were having…"

Bulkhead looked down at their leader with a worried expression. "Was the fight about Star?"

Optimus, with his optics still closed, nodded slightly. "In a way **yes**, and in another way **no**."

Optimus opened his optics and stared blankly at the ceiling. "But what I wouldn't give to be able to tell StarChaser that I didn't mean any of it…"

Bumblebee looked at Bulkhead who motion toward the rec. room. Bumblebee nodded and followed quietly leaving their leader to wallow in silent pain on the hallway floor.

After being out of hearing range, Bumblebee turned to Bulkhead and groaned. "Alright Bulkhead… why'd you drag me out here?"

Bulkhead looked down shaking his head. "Bee, I've NEVER seen the boss bot like this…he's got me worried."

Bumblebee looked up shaking his head. "I know how you feel, but there's not much we can do."

Bulkhead smiled sheepishly holding up a 'claw'. "Maybe there is."

Bumblebee cocked his head and looked Bulkhead up and down. "There is?"

Bulkhead smiled and pointed toward the woodlands that were several miles outside Detroit. "If I know Star, she's probably gone somewhere where she'll feel safe and alone, you know somewhere quiet and peaceful, somewhere where she doesn't have to listen to the boss bot and StarRacer fight."

Bumblebee looked past Bulkhead's arm toward the woodlands, and then looked back at Bulkhead. "You think she's in the forest?"

Bulkhead nodded and smiled. "Yeah little buddy, I do…because I know for a fact that that's the place Prowl would take her whenever she felt alone when the boss bot couldn't play with her or made her angry."

Bumblebee looked past Bulkhead and smiled. "Then what are we waiting for, let's go check it out."

Bumblebee tried to run but Bulkhead caught him by the neck plate. "Now hold on little buddy, we can't just go without Prime knowing…we could get in trouble."

Bumblebee turned and groaned. "Bulkhead, we can't tell Prime about it because then he might get his hopes up…then what happens if StarChaser isn't up there?"

Bulkhead looked down and was about to say something only to have Bumblebee pipe up. "I'll tell you what will happen, Prime and StarRacer will be even more spark-broken then they already are! Sure, the boss bot might be able to handle it, but I don't think StarRacer is able to take much more."

Bulkhead sighed and nodded. "Okay fine, we'll go up there alone but if we DO find StarChaser—."

Bumblebee walked away nodding and laughing. "I know, I know, we'll radio Prime and StarRacer telling them we found her."

Bumblebee then transformed into his car form and bolted off in the direction of the woodlands. Bulkhead transformed as well as raced after him. "Hey Bee, wait for me!"

Meanwhile back inside the base, Optimus had rose to his stabilizing servos and was standing and resting his forehead next to StarChaser's door. He stood still with his optics shut for the longest time before finally speaking slowly and quietly. "StarRacer, are you in there?"

There was a long spell of silence until only a whisper escaped. "The door is open Optimus…"

Optimus opened his optics and stood still for quite some time until finally he mustered up the courage to open the door. When he opened it, he saw StarRacer sitting on the floor leaning against StarChaser's berth and holding the teddy bear that she had dropped. Optimus closed the door behind him and had remained silent as he seated himself on the floor next to her.

He looked at StarRacer and sighed heavily. StarRacer whipped away the tears in her optics and looked at him. "What is it Optimus?"

Optimus looked away shaking his head. "I just wish I could take back everything I had said earlier."

StarRacer looked away nodding. "I know…"

Optimus looked at her and moved slightly closer. "StarRacer, please forgive me for all the hurtful things I had said a few days ago, I didn't mean any of it and if I could take it all back I—."

StarRacer placed a finger over his mouth and hushed him. "Optimus…I already forgive you…it's just forgiving me that I'm having trouble with."

Optimus moved closer and put himself around her so she was sitting in his lap. "StarRacer, listen to me…okay? You did nothing wrong…it was my fault that StarChaser ran, not yours…and I WILL find her even if it puts me off-line."

StarRacer looked up as Optimus looked down and smiled sheepishly, and for once in a long time StarRacer smiled slightly as she rested her head against Optimus' chest plate. Optimus smiled slightly as he wrapped her up in his arms and rested his chin on her head and closed his optics. StarRacer and Optimus sat that way for a long time until StarRacer opened her optics and looked up.

"Optimus, what about the Decepticons?"

Optimus looked down and raised an optic. "What do you mean?"

StarRacer looked away and almost started to stutter out of fear. "Oh Optimus, what if the Decepticons find her? Oh primus, can you imagine some of the things that Megatron would do to her? Oh Optimus what if he kills her! Or worse! Optimus what if he—!"

StarRacer tried to get up and run for the door but Optimus held her down she screamed and burst into tears. Optimus secured her with his arms and yelled. "StarRacer! Calm down! It's okay nothing is going to happen!"

StarRacer froze and looked at Optimus. Optimus sighed and smiled. "Nothing bad is going to happen to StarChaser, okay, she's not going to be caught, captured or killed by the Decepticons, she's too smart for that."

StarRacer looked up and almost screamed out of desperation. "How do you know? How do you know that something terrible hasn't happened to her?"

Optimus sighed. "I don't, but I'm keeping hope."

StarRacer looked away and whimpered as she fell back against Optimus. "Oh Optimus, please…please tell me that she's going to be alright."

Optimus tried to smile as he pulled StarRacer into a hug and let a tear escape from his optic. "She…she's going to be alright."

Later that evening somewhere deep in the forest just outside the old carbon mines, a jet/tank roared past the brush and shot straight into the sky. A sparkling with gray, purple and black armor sat there on the ground watching in awe. The jet transformed into a robot and crashed to the ground in an amazing display of speed and power.

"Didn't shink Decepticons were zhat good, did you?"

Blitzwing laughed and approached Eclipse who was sitting on the ground.

"Well, I knew that most Decepticons could fly, but not like that!"

A low chuckled rang out from behind Eclipse. She turned to see Megatron approaching with Lugnut following right behind.

"True, you may not have the ability of flight but you will learn the skill of hand-to-hand combat on the ground as well as having excellent marksmanship with the finest ammunition."

Eclipse cocked her head. "Wha-?"

Blitzwing laughed hysterically and raised a hand. "He means zhat ve get to teach you how to fight vell as vell as shoot vell!"

Eclipse looked up nodding. "Ohhhh, I get it…but what I don't understand is why you guys have to teach me how to fight."

Megatron smiled and kneeled down. "To make you stronger…physically as well as mentally; that's why you're being trained. So that you may face your sire again and not fall to emotion but instead set things right."

Eclipse looked down and nodded. "I…guess that makes sense."

Megatron smiled evilly and again rose to his stabilizing servos. "Your training begins tomorrow little one, perhaps you should get a good night's stasis…because believe me when I say…"

Megatron turned to walk away but turned and looked out of the corner of his optic and smiled murderously. "…you're going to need it."

Later that night as Blitzwing grumbled to himself while he prepared a temporary berth, Eclipse sat in a corner caressing her new coat of paint.

She then looked up and cocked her head. "Blitzwing, what did Megatron mean by 'I'll need a full night's stasis tonight?'"

Blitzwing paused and looked up smiling. "He meant zhat he iz going to be vorking you hard tomorrow."

Eclipse thought about it but looked up with an evil childish grin. "He's going to be _'vorking'_ me hard tomorrow? Don't you mean '_working_' me hard?"

Blitzing looked up and turned around. "Zhat's vhat I said."

Eclipse smiled again and started laughing. Blitzwing cocked his head and raised and optic. 'And vhat exactly is wrong vith you?"

Eclipse rolled over in a mass hysteria of laughter. "I just realized something…"

Blitzwing crossed his arms and scowled. "Oh, and vhat vould zhat be?"

Eclipse pointed and tried to hold in her laughter. "You talk funny!"

Blitzwing's face then switched rapidly from 'sane' to 'tempered'. "AND VHAT IZ WRONG VITH MY SPEECH!"

Eclipse rolled over practically choking and crying from laughing so hard. "You did it again!"

Blitzwing pointed at Eclipse and growled. "Listen here vee vone, if you shink it'z funny to make fun ov me, zhen—!"

Blitzwing's face again changed to his 'psycho' persona. "— Zhen ve shall have a tickle war!" Blitzwing laughed hysterically as he charged at Eclipse. Eclipse screamed and tore out of the room with Blitzwing hot on her trail.

Lugnut was carrying a massive load of crates and used oil barrels when a streak of gray, purple and black slid past him. Almost falling backwards, he managed to avoid a collision. But being able to stay upright, Lugnut watched as the little streak ripped around the corner. Shaking his head, he re-adjusted his cargo and carried on down the hallway only to have Blitzwing plow into him. Everything Lugnut HAD been holding went flying into the air and crashing down to the floor.

Blitzwing angrily punched the debris out of his way and pointed at Lugnut with his tempered face raging. "Hey you over-sized oil leaker, vatch vhere you are going!"

Lugnut scowled and pointed back. "It was you who crashed into me!"

From the corner of the hallway a loud laugh rang out. But Blitzwing and Lugnut turned to see Eclipse using the corner to stand upright as she pointed and laughed hysterically.

"Blitzwing now's not the time to stop for an oil break!"

Blitzwing looked around himself and sure enough he was sitting in a massive puddle of old oil. He pointed and growled as he tried to get up.

"Just you vait little vone, vhen I get my hands on you—!"

Suddenly Blitzwing slipped and fell backwards on his back. Eclipse fell to the floor roaring in laughter. Blitzwing cringed in anger and frustration as he pulled himself across the oil slick.

"It vont be so funny child vonce I get my hands on you!"

Eclipse again screamed and tore off around the corner with Blitzwing slipping and sliding behind her from oil covered stabilizing servos.

"Child, vhen I get a hold of you I'm going to make you vish you vere never sparked and—!"

As Blitzwing wheeled around the corner he stopped to a large gray mass standing in front of him with deep red, disapproving optics. Blitzwing's face immediately changed to his 'sane' persona as he stuttered.

"M-Megatron! I-I vas just—."

Megatron looked down scowling. "You were just 'what' Blitzing? Making an utter fool out of yourself for chasing an immature sparkling around MY base! I would have expected better self-control from a Decepticon soldier in my ranks."

Blitzwing sighed heavily as his gaze drifted down to a little purple, gray, and black sparkling standing behind Megatron's right stabilizing servo with a wide smile broadcasted across her face plate. Blitzwing scowled and pointed.

"And just vhat do you shink is so funny!"

"Blitzwing!"

Blitzwing looked up to match Megatron disapproving optics. Megatron growled lowly. "I have had quite enough of this nonsense, now…you are to return to your duties and complete them without complaint, understand?"

Blitzwing sighed and mumbled to himself as he disappeared around the corner back down the hallway. Then all at once there was a loud crash and Blitzwing cursed loudly.

"Lugnut, you dumb fragger, vhy haven't you cleaned up zhis mess yet!"

Eclipse laughed loudly as she looked up at Megatron with innocent optics only to have a cold, disapproving stare given back. Eclipse looked down trying to avoid THAT stare. Megatron sank down to a kneeling state and looked at Eclipse while holding the same stare.

"And just what did you think you were accomplishing by harassing one of my soldiers?"

Eclipse looked up smiling sheepishly. "I was just trying to have some fun; I didn't mean any harm by it."

Megatron looked coldly upon the child. "In this base, we do not have time for 'fun'."

Eclipse hesitated before looking away. "Oh…"

Megatron again rose to his full and massive height and disappeared in the direction of the throne room. "Now…go to bed child, we start at dawn."

Eclipse looked at her stabilizing servos only to be stopped again by Megatron's voice. "Oh and one more thing…"

Eclipse stopped and turned to see a grin on Megatron's face plate. "Before you power-down, you WILL clean up the mess in the hallway."

Eclipse hesitated. "BUT?"

Megatron growled. "No 'buts' I gave you instructions and I expect you to fallow them."

Eclipse growled as she disappeared around the corner only face Lugnut who was standing there holding a rag and smiling. Eclipse snatched the rag from his grip and dropped to her knees and scrubbed at the floor.

Four hours later, Eclipse almost had to drag herself into her designated room and dropped onto her now prepared berth in exhaustion. Blitzing laughed to himself as he leaned up against the wall.

"Vork hard did you?

Eclipse sprawled out on her berth and sighed. "Oil is really hard to clean once it's been on the floor for a while."

Blitzwing laughed. "Maybe zhat vill teach you for making fun of my accent."

Eclipse sat up and smiled. "Yeah, speaking of that… I'm sorry about that Blitzy; I didn't mean to make you angry."

Blitzwing shrugged and smiled slightly. "Ah, well…hey wait a minute…Blitzy?"

Eclipse smiled and shrugged. "What's the matter, you don't my new nickname for you?"

Blitzwing was quiet for a long time before switching to his 'psycho' persona and jumping for joy. "I LOVE IT!"

Blitzwing then paraded out of the room in a loud ruckus. "Hey Lugnut guess vhat, I have a nickname and YOU don't!"

Eclipse laughed as she slowly shut the massive steel reinforced door behind Blitzwing. She then turned and looked around her new room. It sure was different than the one she had back home. Home. She looked around imagining if this were the base were everything would be. But then shook the image out of her head.

"No don't do that! For the next week…this is your home."

She looked around the dark, dreary room. It would be completely dark if it wasn't for a dim purple light in the room. Everything looked dark, dreary, cold and sparkless. How could she think of this place as being home? It was nothing like home! She smacked herself in the head and cursed to herself.

"Stop that! THIS is your home now; get used to it!"

Sighing heavily, Eclipse dragged herself onto her new berth and stared at the ceiling and let her processor wander. And somehow, her processor started thinking about the Autobots. About Ratchet, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Prowl, Sari and of course…mom and dad. Eclipse closed her optics and fought with her processor. Do mom and dad even miss her? Are they even out there somewhere looking for her? Or are the still at the base fighting? Eclipse rolled over on her side and whimpered. What if they didn't even care that she was gone? She shook her head slightly and dug her faceplate into the berth. Whatever they were doing…they weren't here now.

Megatron stride through the hallways and threw the sparkling's door open. She lay on her mid-plate sleeping soundly with fuel leaking through her mouth. Megatron smiled as he drew his sword and struck it against the door. Eclipse jumped and hesitated still half asleep.

"NO ULTRA MAGNUS I DIDN"T STEEL YOUR ENERGON CUBE!"

Eclipse sat up and saw Megatron standing in the doorway smiling.

Tiredly Eclipse cocked her head and yawned. "What?"

Megatron crossed his arms and smiled. "It's dawn."

Eclipse groaned and slammed her face plate back down onto the berth. "Give me five more nano-clicks."

Megatron's smile faded as he approached the berth. He leaned down and almost yelled in her audio receptor. "NOW!"

Eclipse shot up and sat upright glaring at him tiredly before slamming herself back down and covered her audio receptors. For a moment Megatron just stood there until finally he walked around the other side and flipped Eclipse onto the floor. She screeched and glared coldly only t have Megatron glare back.

Megatron walked out the door. "Be outside in five nano-clicks or you won't get any oil this morning."

Eclipse stood upright immediately and shot after Megatron. "What? I have to work to get my breakfast?"

Three ant agonizingly painful hours later, Eclipse lay on the ground exhausted. Megatron towered over her holding a barrel of sweet, delicious oil that he refused to hand over. Eclipse looked up and groaned.

"Why are you doing this to me? I'd be able to concentrate and perform better if I actually had fuel in my systems!"

Megatron laughed and pointed to the oil barrel. "If you want it then come and get it."

Eclipse sat up and moped. "You're too high! How am I supposed to reach it?"

Megatron laughed. "Use your opponent's weakness to your advantage."

Eclipse fell backwards and groaned. "You don't have any weaknesses!"

Megatron laughed and threw the barrel to Lugnut. "Alright, then get your oil from Lugnut."

Eclipse rose to her stabilizing servos again and approached Lugnut and tried everything she could think of. Megatron stood there shaking his head. "If that is the way you plan on fighting you are as good as dead."

Eclipse, now beginning to become hungry and annoyed turned around and glared. "Oh really?"

Just then Eclipse punched Lugnut in a sensitive circuit on his right equilibrium sensor and the grabbed a nearby iron rod and smoked Lugnut in the crotch plate. He dropped the barrel and fell to the ground in both pain and agony. The barrel of oil rolled right to Eclipse's stabilizing servos. She picked it up and turned to Megatron with a beaming grin across her face plate.

"Still think I'll end up dead?"

Both Blitzwing and Megatron's face plates emanated with astonishment and awe. She was an eight foot tall sparkling that took out a two story tall male robot in no time at all. Megatron smiled and nodded.

"No I no longer do, instead I believe that you have very much potential."


	10. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

_Many Hours Later in the Forest near the Carbon Mines…_

"Bumblebee we've been searching out here since late last night and haven't found one trace of little StarChaser, can we go home yet?"

Bumblebee stopped and let his engine idle as a large green police utility van pulled up next to him.

"Bulkhead, we can't give up yet! What if Star is in big trouble and she needs us?"

Bulkhead sighed heavily as he transformed into his robot form. "I know…but neither one of us has had any stasis since yesterday, and I'm so exhausted I could probably fall over and power-down here if I wanted to."

Bumblebee transformed too and surveyed the area. "Okay fine, if you wanna power-down go ahead but I'm not going to rest until I find Star."

Bulkhead sighed and trailed after Bumblebee. "Okay, okay little buddy I'm coming."

_Several minutes Later…_

"Bumblebee, we are NEVER going to find her! We could probably turn this entire planet inside out and still not find her!"

Bumblebee stopped abruptly and growled. "Fine if you wanna go back to the base, then go! No bot is stopping you!"

Bulkhead stopped and shrugged. "No way…I'm not going to let you wander around out here alone. You're my best friend and we have to—."

Suddenly Bumblebee covered Bulkhead's mouth. "SHHHHHHHHHH, Bulkhead did you hear that?"

Bulkhead cocked his head and raised an optic. "Hear what?"

Bumblebee motioned Bulkhead to shut it down for a few nano-clicks and listen. Sure enough in the distance there was the sound of metal on metal.

Bumblebee looked at Bulkhead and started running toward the sound. Bulkhead hesitated but soon followed.

Within minutes, Bumblebee stopped and rested in the trees that were next to a vast clearing. Bulkhead stopped and kneeled down next to him.

"Bee, why'd ya stop here?"

Bumblebee turned and whispered. "I was almost positive that the noise was coming from—."

Suddenly there was a loud clash of metal on metal and a small purple, gray and black figure flew through the air and landed in the long grass. It stood up and rubbed the back of its neck plate.

Both Bumblebee and Bulkhead sat in awe and disbelief until finally Bulkhead pointed and whispered. "Is that…StarChaser?"

Bumblebee shook his head and whispered. "No-no it can't be, that's a Decepticon."

Bulkhead turned to Bumblebee. "A Decepticon sparkling? No way…what femme would be dumb enough to go with a 'Con?"

Bumblebee rolled his optics. "I don't know…maybe…a Decepticon femme."

There was a moment of silence until their attention went back to the sparkling who had their back to them. Then without warning Megatron charged out of the tree line opposite of them straight for the sparkling. Both Bumblebee and Bulkhead sat and watching in awe as the sparkling showed no fear and charged at the ruthless Decepticon leader. The sparkling swung a large metal rod at the 'Con and was fighting back. Megatron swung his arm in self-defense and sent her flying across the field again. The child landed hard in the grass but stood up and posed in battle position ready to fight again. It was then that Bumblebee and Bulkhead saw the sparkling's face plate. Both Autobots froze in fear and awe. Even though _she_ was in Decepticon colors, they recognized those antennas and that look of determination anywhere. It WAS StarChaser! And she was being attacked by the Decepticon leader!

Bumblebee rose to his stabilizing servos. "We have to help her!"

Bulkhead grabbed Bumblebee and pulled him back down. "No wait, look."

Megatron slowly approached the sparkling standing there in the grass ready to strike again. Megatron put a hand up and smiled. Eclipse lowered her steel beam and relaxed. Megatron kneeled and watched the sparkling fell backwards into the grass.

Megatron smirked as he still towered over the child even though he was kneeling. "Had enough for one solar-cycle have we?"

Eclipse nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I've had enough…can we go back to the base now."

Megatron nodded. "I could really use some refueling…how about you?"

Eclipse sat up and nodded. "Oh yeah, I could defiantly go for a barrel of oil right now."

Megatron nodded and rose to his full height. "Very well, let us return to the base."

Eclipse nodded. "Race ya?"

Megatron laughed as he proceeded to the tree line. "I think not."

Eclipse got up and trailed a ways behind and yelled. "Party pooper!"

Megatron disappeared through the tree line leaving Eclipse standing in the middle of the field. She shook her head and continued after Megatron when she heard a quiet but sudden. "PPSSSSSSSSSSTTTT!" from the opposite side of the tree line. Eclipse froze and looked behind her. Then she heard it again. She looked back toward the direction Megatron had disappeared the proceeded to the other side and froze.

She turned and looked back toward the Decepticon base and sighed. "That's weird, I thought I heard—."

Suddenly two pairs of robot arms lunged out, snatched her and pulled her back into the tree line. A yellow and black hand clamped over her mouth to keep her from screaming. She froze out of fear and prayed to Primus for him to give her a place in the Well of All Sparks.

She looked up and her jaw dropped. It was Bumblebee! After she stopped struggling, Bumblebee removed his hand and smiled.

She looked up and froze. "Bumblebee..."

She then turned her head and saw Bulkhead sitting next to him smiling. "…Bulkhead?"

She then looked over towards the direction of the Decepticon base and whispered angrily. "What are you two doing here?"

Bulkhead smiled and laughed slightly. "Rescuing you of course, now come on…let's get out of here before Megatron comes back."

She looked down shaking her head. "No you guys don't understand, I can't—."

"ECLIPSE!"

Megatron's voice range out from just beyond the opposite tree line. "ECLIPSE, RETURN TO ME NOW!"

Bumblebee looked at the child in his lap in awe. "Who the slag is 'Eclipse' StarChaser?"

She sighed and rubbed her optics. "It's my Decepticon name."

Both Bumblebee and Bulkhead's optics widened. "WHAT?"

Again Megatron's voice rang across the trees. The sparkling hesitated and jumped away from Bumblebee and almost looked to be in tears. "Look guys I would explain everything to you right now, but I don't have time…if Megatron see's you guys and me with you, then we are all dead."

Megatron's voice again rang out. She hesitated and spoke quickly. "Please guys, just promise me that you won't tell mom and dad about this… and don't worry I will be home soon."

She then jumped through the trees and ran for the opposite tree line just as Megatron stormed through. She stopped in front of him and smiled sheepishly.

Megatron stared coldly and growled. "And where have you disappeared off to?"

Eclipse again smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "I just thought that I saw—."

Megatron growled more harshly. "You thought you saw, what?"

Eclipse passed a glance behind her and then looked back to Megatron. "It was nothing my lord…lets go get some oil."

She then walked quickly past the Decepticon leader toward the base. He passed a glance in the direction she was previously looking then followed the child through the trees.

Both Bumblebee and Bulkhead watched in awe as Megatron's mass followed their leader's sparkling through the trees. How could this be possible, how could little StarChaser betray them like this? How could she become a Decepticon?

Bulkhead turned to Bumblebee and hesitated. "Did little StarChaser really call Megatron 'Lord'?"

Bumblebee remained silent. Bulkhead sighed and looked in the direction in which Megatron and StarChaser disappeared. "Why do you think she's doing this?"

Bumblebee sighed and shook his head. "I don't know, but we can't tell StarRacer and the Big Bot."

Bulkhead looked at Bumblebee confused. "But wouldn't they want to know that StarChaser is okay?"

Bumblebee looked at Bulkhead shaking his head. "No, not at the expense of their daughter possibly switching allegiances, that would tear both their sparks out…besides, she said that she would be coming home soon."

Bulkhead nodded. "Yeah…we can only hope she's telling the truth."

Bumblebee looked at Bulkhead and nodded slowly before transforming into his vehicle mode and driving away in the direction of their Autobot base, both holding the same very frightening secret.

Later that night back at the Decepticon base Megatron sat on his throne watching Eclipse with cold optics as she giggled while talking to both Lugnut and Blitzwing.

Megatron then 'cleared his throat' and rose from his throne. "Eclipse…"

She turned around and looked up. Megatron stared coldly as he pointed to the floor in front of him. "Come here."

Both Blitzwing and Lugnut passed glances to Eclipse who just shrugged and did what she was told. She approached and tried to seem innocent. "Yes Lord Megatron?"

Megatron again sat down as he put his face in his hand. "What did you think you were doing this afternoon?"

Eclipse cocked her head. "My Lord, what do you mean?"

Megatron struck the armrest of his throne. "Do not play dumb with me child! I wish to know what it was you thought you were doing!"

Eclipse hesitated then swallowed hard. "I-I thought I had heard voices my lord, but when I investigated it turned out to be nothing. I thought it better to be safe than sorry."

Megatron sat back in his throne. "Really?"

Eclipse nodded. "Yes my lord and I'm sorry for not coming to your calls earlier."

Megatron nodded and looked away. "Very well, but do not let it happen again."

Eclipse nodded then smiled. "Why? Were you worried about me?"

Megatron hesitated then turned away frowning. "You may be a soldier in training…but you are still a sparkling."

Megatron walked away down the hallway leaving a dazed sparkling behind. She turned to Lugnut and Blitzwing with confused optics. "What was all that about."

Blitzwing laughed. "I shink lord Megatron likes you kid!"

Eclipse was quiet for a moment before turning to the two across the room. "What about you guys, do you two like me?"

Blitzwing's face switched to 'psycho' as he threw a hand in the air. "Absolutely!"

Four long days later, both Megatron and Eclipse stood battle posed in the same open field they had been practicing in before, both holding a long steel rod with sharpened blades on the ends.

Megatron nodded and grinned. "Are you ready for the ultimate test?"

Eclipse smirked and spun the blades around her head and shoulders in a spectacular display of skill and aggression.

Megatron smirked and nodded. "Now, let us see if the training over the past few days will save you from me."

Eclipse smirked and spun the blade in front of her. "Bring it on Mr. High-and-Mighty."

Megatron smiled and readied his blade. "As you wish little one."

Suddenly Megatron raised the blade over his head and swung violently toward Eclipse. Raising the blade up to match his, she blocked his blow and pushed him away. She swung around only to be blocked. Each swung at each other with their blades clashing and bashing each other. It lasted many minutes both fighting until finally Megatron slid the blade across Eclipse's mid-plate. She sank backwards and held her mid-plate that was lightly leaking life fluid. She looked up to see Megatron laughing.

"Do you wish to cry mercy?"

Eclipse grinded her teeth and growled. "Never."

She then released a massive battle-cry as she lunged for Megatron's throat.

Megatron withdrew quickly and matched his blade against hers. He smiled and chuckled. "You're learning quickly young one, I don't even think we can call you a sparkling anymore."

Eclipse shifted the blade quickly and tried to strike Megatron in the crotch-plate only for it to be blocked. "Oh-ho little one, I don't think so!"

Megatron again attempted to strike only to have Eclipse jump and flip backwards thus landing on her stabilizing servos. Megatron paused and cocked his head. "I never taught you that maneuver…how did you learn that?"

Eclipse shrugged her shoulders. Megatron smiled and charged. "Well, you may be a youngling now…but that won't save you from me!"

Eclipse jumped from in front of Megatron to behind him and lunged for his back plate. Latching on, she wielded her blade around so it was merely inches from his throat.

Megatron froze and chuckled. "Well done youngling…well done."

Eclipse hesitated but slowly sank off of Megatron's back and dropped her blade on the ground. Megatron turned and kneeled. "Congratulations Eclipse, you have completed the test and passed."

Suddenly both Blitzwing and Lugnut cheered and swept Eclipse off her stabilizing servos. She smiled and laughed. "Yeah, I did it!"

She looked to Megatron and smiled. "I did it."

Megatron smiled and nodded in silent agreement. "That you did my child…but this is just the beginning young one."

Eclipse climbed down from Blitzwing's grasp and approached slowly. "What'd ya mean?"

Megatron looked away and smiled menacingly to himself. "Tomorrow, we're going to pay Detroit a little visit…"

What's going to happen now? Well, I guess you're just going to have to wait and see…


	11. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

Five horrible days had passed since StarChaser had disappeared. Both Optimus and StarRacer seemed like two completely different bots; neither one even having the energy to even put up a fight. All in all, they both seemed like they were losing their wills to live.

Bumblebee and Bulkhead watched quietly from the hallway as they watched StarRacer climb slowly into Optimus' lap and hold onto his chest plate tightly and weep endlessly. Sighing Bulkhead walked away shaking his head. Bumblebee watched with curious optics and soon followed.

Bumblebee stopped and watched as Bulkhead sank down into a vacant corner on the other side of the rec. room. Sighing heavily, Bumblebee drug himself across the room and sank down beside Bulkhead.

Bulkhead groaned miserably shaking his head. "It's just not the same without Star around is it?"

Bumblebee nodded in agreement. "I really wish we could tell the boss bot and the boss lady the truth about StarChaser."

Bulkhead flinched and slowly turned. "Which part? The part about her being alive and in the forest just to the north of the city or the part about her possibly joining ranks with the Decepticons?"

"WHAT?"

Both Bumblebee and Bulkhead looked up only to realize that they weren't alone. Both Ratchet and Prowl stood there frozen with dumbfounded and horrified looks.

Prowl looked over shaking his head. "Bulkhead, WHAT did you just say?"

Bulkhead passed an uneasy glance to Bumblebee who in turn just shrugged. "Well, I guess, as the humans say; the cat's out of the bag now."

Ratchet growled as he passed an uneasy glance to the duo on the floor. "Alright you two, either you two tell me what's going on or you both might as well kiss your aft plates goodbye!"

Bumblebee suddenly jumped into Bulkhead's lap and hugged him in an act of desperation. "Y-You wouldn't dare!"

Ratchet growled again as he crossed his arms. "Try me."

Bulkhead passed an uneasy glance to Bumblebee who was still in his lap holding onto him for dear life. "Uh, Bumblebee…I think we better come clean with the doc bot."

With an uneasy sigh, Bumblebee sank away from Bulkhead. "Okay, we'll tell you; but you HAVE to swear that you won't tell the boss bot or his girl got it?"

Ratchet passed a quick glance to Prowl who in turn nodded before looking back at Bumblebee. "Alright, we'll keep our mouth plates shut now will you just tell us already!"

After explaining everything they heard and saw what with StarChaser and her 'new-found friends', both Ratchet and Prowl sat in a state of horrified awe.

Prowl looked down shaking his head. "This can't be. That couldn't have been our StarChaser!"

Bumblebee shrugged. "That's what I thought too, but it WAS her, believe me it was her."

Ratchet looked away. "And you say that she even LOOKS like a Decepticon now?"

Bulkhead nodded. "Oh yeah, every part of her from her red optics to the black, purple and gray armor…well, that and the Decepticon symbol that stands out clear as day."

Prowl held his hands up shaking his head. "But, I thought you said that StarChaser said that she would explain everything and would be back soon, so that could lead us to assume that she'll return."

Ratchet shook his head and almost seemed to choke. "How do you know she didn't just say that so that you two would let her go with Megatron?"

Prowl turned around abruptly. "Ratchet you don't think little StarChaser wouldn't betray us; do you?"

Ratchet shuddered and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know what to believe anymore…"

Bumblebee sighed and again sank to the ground. "I wish we could get some answers."

Suddenly the alarms from Teletran 1 screamed through the base corridors and a horrifying scene appeared on the monitors. Ratchet turned to Bumblebee and groaned.

"I think you got your wish Bumblebee…"

Bulkhead turned and swallowed hard. "Should we tell Prime and StarRacer?"

Ratchet shook his head. "No, tell them to meet us at the Detroit fuel plant…they need to see it, not hear it."

Meanwhile at a large fuel plant Megatron, Lugnut, Blitzwing, and their newest recruit Eclipse were loading barrels into Lugnut's cargo hanger that was big enough to even fit Eclipse.

Megatron stood and watched as Blitzwing handed barrels to Eclipse and she loaded them into Lugnut's cargo bay.

"Faster! We only have a limited amount of time until those accursed Autobots show up and we need this high grade fuel!"

Eclipse hung out the end of Lugnut's cargo hanger. "Blitzy! How much more?"

Blitzwing ran up holding six or seven barrels. "Zis iz zhe rest of it!"

"NOT SO FAST DECEPTI-CRREEPS!"

All four looked up to see four Autobots. Eclipse froze. She recognized them; it was Ratchet, Prowl, Bumblebee and Bulkhead. But her attention was drawn to Megatron when he started to laugh.

"Well, well, well…look at what the capacitor dragged in. So, where's your '_Oh-so-powerful'_ leader?"

Suddenly a voice rang out from behind the four Autobots. "I'm here Megatron!"

A red and blue mech accompanied by a black and blue femme appeared from behind. "Do you honestly have nothing better to do but high-jack some fuel?"

Eclipse froze and slowly backed into Lugnut's cargo bay.

Megatron again laughed. "Autobot, if you think you can defeat me, then maybe you should take another look."

Optimus jumped down from the over pass and stood only yards away from his enemy. "What's that supposed to mean Megatron?"

Just then the other five Autobots jumped down and stood behind Optimus proudly (StarRacer being the closest).

Megatron laughed coldly and motioned toward StarRacer. "So, this must be the femme that I've been hearing SO much about."

StarRacer hesitated. "How do you know who I am?"

Again Megatron laughed. "Let's just say that I have someone that at one time was on the inside with you Autobots."

Optimus growled. "What are you talking about Megatron?"

Slowly, Megatron looked to the dark shadows of Lugnut's cargo bay. He smiled slowly and held out a hand. "Come to me Eclipse."

Cautiously, a small black, gray and purple figure emerged from the shadows and streaked across the lot and took the large Decepticon's hand and stood close to his stabilizing servo thus rubbing her head against his armor.

StarRacer stood back in awe but soon began to laugh. "EWWWWWWW, Okay, that's just gross! What femme would be dumb enough to spark-merge with you?"

Optimus stood frozen in horror and fear as he placed a single hand on StarRacer's shoulder. "Uh…StarRacer…look closer…"

StarRacer looked to Optimus and raised an optic but soon looked again at the child standing beside the Decepticon leader. Her small red eyes stared up at her with a freakishly familiar gentleness. Suddenly, StarRacer fell to her knees with her hands over her mouth. "Oh Primus No…"

Megatron smiled fiendishly. "So, you DO remember the spark that you once carried."

Optimus kneeled to the ground and held StarRacer in his arms and watched the child with indescribable horror. "StarChaser…how…how could you do this?"

Eclipse pushed her face plate into Megatron's armor and closed her optics. Megatron rested his hand on her head and laughed. "Her name is NOT _StarChaser_…it's Eclipse."

Suddenly StarRacer jumped up and lunged at Megatron. "YOU MONSTER!"

Optimus jumped up suddenly and grabbed StarRacer and held her back as she exploded.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SPARKLING? LET HER GO! LET HER GO NOW!"

Eclipse looked up as Megatron laughed. "As you wish Autobot."

With that Megatron pulled both hands away. Eclipse froze and looked up at him confused and pulled herself closer. As Eclipse did that, it looked as if the sparks had just been torn out of both her mother and father's spark chambers.

Again Megatron burst out laughing as he embraced the child. "Well, you can't say that I didn't try."

Suddenly Optimus' anger exploded and he lunged for Megatron. Megatron flinched and immediately pushed Eclipse behind him. Only to stand in awe at the sight of the Autobot leader's soldiers trying to hold the raging Prime back. Megatron laughed and gently caressed the child's head.

Optimus looked up with rage emanating from his faceplate. "GIVE ME MY CHILD MEGATRON!"

Megatron smirked as he lowered himself and took Eclipse into his arms. "She is no longer YOUR child Autobot…she's mine now."

Optimus and StarRacer both looked up in horror. "What?"

Megatron looked at Eclipse and pulled her head in so her forehead rested on his. "This sparkling is mine now."

Megatron then pulled away and smirked evilly. "You two had your chance and you both blew it. You both FAILED. You had a chance to be in this child's life but instead you two chose to fight amongst yourselves thus driving this child away; to think that you two had the gall to call yourselves her parents."

There was a long moment of silence before Megatron adjusted Eclipse in his grasp. "Maybe if you two would have spent a little less time fighting and a little more time focusing on this child, then maybe she wouldn't have gone looking for something better."

Megatron put Eclipse down beside him and smiled fiendishly. "Admit it Autobot…I've won and you've lost."

"YOU HAVEN'T WON YET MEGATRON!"

Suddenly a magnetic field generated across the parking lot from behind Megatron that pulled Eclipse back. Megatron turned abruptly and grabbed Eclipse by the hand only to get hit in the back of the head by a wrecking ball.

Eclipse froze and looked up to see that she was in Ratchet's grasp. That was until a blast from Megatron's cannon winged Ratchet in the stabilizing servo. Eclipse fell from Ratchet's grasp only to be scooped up by Megatron. Megatron turned and yelled to both Lugnut and Blitzwing.

"Lugnut, Rise up and return to base!" Megatron then handed Eclipse to Blitzwing. "Take Eclipse back to the base."

Megatron the wheeled around and shot at the Autobots. Eclipse watched as Blitzwing adjusted her in his arms and shot off into the sky. Megatron watched and soon transformed and followed in pursuit. StarRacer again hit her knees and screamed out StarChaser's name and Optimus sank down beside her.

"CURSE YOU MEGATRON!"

Shortly after leaving the Autobots in despair from their loss of not just another Autobot, but a member of the family, Megatron crashed to the ground just outside the Decepticon base. Megatron stood up and looked over his soldiers and his newfound victory.

Blitzwing gently put Eclipse down and patted her head. "Vhat do ya know kid, you can fly after all."

Eclipse remained silent as she put her head down and closed her optics. Megatron slowly approached and kneeled. "What is the problem child?"

Suddenly Eclipse looked up with pink energon tears streaming from her optics. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?"

Megatron looked up not changing his 'composed' expression. "What do you mean my child?"

Eclipse angrily pointed toward the Detroit Fuel Station. "You promised me that you would HELP me get my parents back together NOT drive them even more apart!"

Megatron looked up and passed a glance to both Lugnut and Blitzwing but then looked back at Eclipse frowning and shaking his head. "Eclipse…I didn't want to be the one to tell you this but…"

Eclipse leaned forward raising an angry optic. "Tell me what?"

Megatron looked away sighing. "Not long after you came to us, we intercepted a transmission from your sire to your creator. Apparently, the only reason they want you back is because you are destined to become one of the greatest and most powerful femmes to ever roam this universe; but the only way you can fulfill your destiny is by becoming a Decepticon."

Eclipse stepped back both horrified and confused. "W-What are you talking about?"

Megatron reached out a hand meant to comfort. "That's why they wanted you back so badly, they want to keep you from achieving your true destiny, to keep you from coming home."

Eclipse turned away trying to hold the tears back. "Y-Your lying."

Megatron sighed and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I would never lie to you my child…you have been deceived enough."

Eclipse turned around and looked Megatron straight in the optic. "You mean…all this time…they were lying to me?"

Megatron nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so."

There was a long pause of awkward silence as Eclipse stood there in an almost petrified state of being, until she finally looked up at Megatron with her optics still swelling with tears. She looked down and whimpered helplessly as she slowly approached Megatron and latched her arms around him and dug her face plate into his chest plate. Megatron froze and passed an uneasy glance to both Lugnut and Blitzwing who both only shrugged, (Well Blitzwing was more in an 'awwwwww-how-cute' state). Megatron passed and uneasy glance to the youngling nuzzling into his armor.

She then looked up still crying slightly. "You Decepticons are the only bots I can trust…Megatron…you and Lugnut and Blitzwing…are the only bots I can trust."

Megatron again passed an uneasy glance to both Blitzwing and Lugnut, but then looked down smiling mischievously. "It's your choice little one…you can go back to the _Autobots_…or…you can stay with us and take your rightful place as the Decepticon you were always meant to be."

Eclipse remained speechless for what seemed like eternity, but slowly looked up as she wiped the tears and shrugged. "I'll think about it…"

Later that night, Eclipse lay in her cold dark room dreaming about something she hadn't thought about for a long time…her real family.

Her processor drifted back to when she was much younger; back to the solar cycles when she barely knew how to talk and lived on Cybertron with Chromia and her mother. To those simple days when there really wasn't a care in the world for her. Back then, her only worry was when she would get her next fuel portion. She thought about all the things her mother used to do. The hugs, the kisses, the playing sessions and of course the many lonely nights she would spend just laying next to her on her berth just watching her recharge.

Then her processor drifted elsewhere…to her father.

That was it.

Suddenly, images of those days when she first came to Earth came back. The images of seeing her father for the first time, and meeting him for the first time and…hugging him for the first time. She even dreamed about the time she first saw the Decepticons and almost got buried by debris. But then her father saved her, and then the time when he saved her from…

Just then Eclipse's optics shot open. There was a long deafening silence as she looked around her dark, lonely room. She sat up and rubbed her optics and rested her face plate in her hands. That's right, not long ago it was Optimus that saved her from Megatron's deadly grasp. Then flashes of Megatron came to her mind. Images of him on that frightening day not so many stellar cycles ago. On the day she was captured and taken hostage.

She stretched her stabilizing servos out in front of her and stared at them blankly. She remembered that day. She remembered that day as if it happened yesterday or even the day before that. She remembered the murderous look that was in Megatron's optics… and the threats.

She suddenly looked down and rubbed the same stabilizing servo that had been shot at not so long ago, but then paused. She was rubbing the same stabilizing servo that _Megatron_ shot at.

Eclipse again laid back and stared at the ceiling…and then thought about when Chromia came for her, and…when her dad stood up for her…her dad.

Suddenly a soft voice almost seemed to drift through he air as her processor again began to drift away.

"_StarChaser, you are MY daughter, and I love you more than life itself. And know that I would do anything to protect you…even if that means I can't be with you…but please…my sweet innocent child…know this…I love you…I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU… and when all this is over, I will come for you, but only then can we be a family."_

Again her optics shot open and she sat upright on her berth. That's what her father said before she was supposed to go with Chromia. It was then that she again heard his voice whispering through her audio receptors.

"_I will never leave you, and I will always be with you as long as you remember how much I love you."_

Eclipse tried to shake the voice out of her head and held her hands over her audio receptors and started to weep softly. "Stop talking…you don't mean that…you lied to me…you…lied."

Suddenly, the feeling of a single tear rolling down her face plate overwhelmed her. She reached up and touched her face only to come to the conclusion that there was nothing there. With a heavy sigh, she laid down on her side and slowly drifted into stasis. And again her father's voice drifted through her processor.

The same words that she had once traveled so far across the universe to hear, and still her spark flutters to hear.

"_I will always love you…"_

"_I will always love you…"_

"_I will always love you…"_


	12. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

The morning that followed for Eclipse dragged on slowly and painfully. Her processor was flooded with images of the base and everyone in it. Images of mom and dad, and Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Prowl, Ratchet and even Sari too.

She thought about the countless hours of playing video games and playing hockey outside with Bumblebee and Sari.

Just then Megatron walked past her only to stop and watch curiously as she drifted off, obviously thinking about things elsewhere.

"Your processor is obviously full to its peak with things that seem to be troubling you."

Eclipse didn't answer. Megatron watched curiously only to curse and then whop her on the back of the head. She both flinched and yelped at Megatron's strike. She scowled and stared coldly and yet with a slight childish mood.

Megatron stared blankly and soon looked away. "It would appear to me that something seems to be troubling you. Would you care to inform me of 'what' exactly?"

Eclipse remained quiet for a long time only to sigh and shrug. "Nothing, just about a dream I had."

Megatron was quiet, but soon kneeled down and took Eclipse into his hands and placed her in his lap as he seated himself on the floor. "Now, inform me of what seems to be troubling your mind."

Eclipse looked up into the large mass that made up the mighty Decepticon leader. She looked away and shrugged. "Just about stupid things."

Megatron leaned down closer and smiled fiendishly. "Just about stupid _Autobot_ things?"

Eclipse looked away and shrugged. Megatron leaned even closer and was about to say something when Lugnut ran in.

"My Lord, something has come up that requires your attention."

Megatron looked up and nodded as he placed Eclipse on the floor and rose to his stabilizing servos. "Very well…"

As Megatron walked away and out of the room, Eclipse stared down at the palms of her hands but soon closed them into fists as she rose to her stabilizing servos and raced out the door.

As she raced into the main throne room she slowed to a quiet trot and quietly approached Megatron and Lugnut who were standing by the monitors. She stopped and listened quietly.

Lugnut turned from the screens and kneeled. "My lord, the Autobots have shown up within our vicinity and appear to have retrieved a newly found All-Spark fragment; what do you wish us to do?"

Megatron remained silent for a long period of time until he finally passed a glance to Eclipse, then smiled mischievously. "Call in Blitzwing from patrol…Eclipse has unfinished business with the Autobot leader…"

Meanwhile, the Autobots stood together in a triangular formation…waiting. StarRacer stood unwarily with her stabilizing servos shaking but her hand in Optimus' right hand as his left held a dimly glowing fragment. Optimus stood motionless like stone, watching the skies and listening for the horribly familiar sounds of propellers piercing the atmosphere and jet engines ripping the sky apart. To Optimus and StarRacer's right, Bulkhead and Bumblebee stood quietly watching the tree line around them. And to Optimus and StarRacer's left, both Ratchet and Prowl stood ready posed for battle.

Within the distance, the sound of engines indeed pierced the sky as Megatron flew with Lugnut and Blitzwing fallowing not too far behind. Eclipse sat quietly in Megatron's cockpit (that just happens to be _JUST_ the right size) and surveyed the rugged landscape as it passed down below.

Suddenly Lugnut's voice chimed in over Megatron's radio. "Autobots are seven clicks north-north east and we're closing in fast."

Megatron's voice growled. "Very well…keep me informed."

Eclipse remained quiet as the number of clicks between them and her 'previous care-takers'. For a while it was seven clicks north-north east, then it was six clicks north-north east and so on. And with each passing second, the pain in her spark ached more. It was when they were finally within firing range that it seemed like her chest plate was going to burst…and then…they saw them. Megatron immediately readied his cannon to firing capacity and ordered both Lugnut and Blitzwing to do the same. Eclipse sank down lower and whimpered miserably. Something about this just didn't seem right and she felt like something horrible was going to happen. But what could she do now? She could see everything going on outside Megatron's cockpit. She watched everything from the large mass of evergreen, maple and oak trees passing underneath them to the prairies and bogs that made up the area. She could even see all six Autobots standing in an empty field. Suddenly Eclipse sat upright and stared out the cockpit in awe.

Slowly, Megatron descended from the sky just yards away from the Autobots that had posed themselves for battle. Lugnut and Blitzwing on the other hand had transformed in mid-landing and crashed to the ground in a display of both power and accuracy and had all available weapons readied for battle. Megatron opened his cockpit and allowed the small youngling to crawl out and step down to the ground before transforming himself and taking the child into his arms.

StarRacer stared in horror and tried to lunge forward to grab little StarChaser away from that monster, only to be grabbed and yanked back by her mate.

She wheeled around with tears beginning to form. "Optimus, what are you doing? Let me go!"

Optimus pulled StarRacer closer and growled. "StarRacer, if you get anywhere near him he'll kill you without hesitation!"

StarRacer turned away from Optimus and looked with horror at her sparkling who was nuzzling into the Decepticon leader's armor. She then caught glance of Megatron's optics looking at her with a look of pleasure written on his face plate.

StarRacer growled and again took a lunge at Megatron and her sparkling only to be held back by both Optimus and Ratchet.

She looked up enraged. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY CHILD YOU MONSTER?"

Optimus and Ratchet struggled to hold the femme back as Megatron laughed. "I have done nothing to _MY_ child, other than show her what REAL parenting is."

StarRacer screamed and literally clawed at both Ratchet and Optimus' grasp in order to get free. "**DAMN IT MEGATRON! I SWEAR, WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU I WILL RIP YOUR OPTICS FROM THERE CASINGS AND CRUSH THEM WITH MY OWN HANDS!"**

Megatron laughed hysterically at both Optimus and Ratchet trying to calm the raging femme. He then looked down at the child only to see her whimpering and crying. Optimus, Ratchet and StarRacer all froze as Megatron gently raised the child closer to his face and rubbed his face plate against hers.

Megatron then passed a glance to the Autobot leader who was watching in both awe and terror. He smiled horribly as her rested his cold sparkless lips against the child's cheek. Optimus' rage overwhelmed him and he shot straight for Megatron's throat only to be close-lined by Bumblebee, Bulkhead AND Prowl, and even at that they had difficulty holding him back.

Optimus glared coldly through his visor and hissed. "Megatron…I swear from here to Cybertron…you WILL regret that…"

Megatron laughed as the child's face rested against his. "What are you going to do about it Autobot, I gained this child fairly. She came to ME, nothing more. She has chosen her path."

Megatron again laughed hysterically at the sight of both biological parents of HIS adopted sparkling having to be restrained. He looked at Eclipse and laughed as he stroked her back. "Now…what is it you Autobots want considering you have so desperately tried to merit our attention?"

Slowly Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Prowl looked at their leader as they cautiously lessened their grip on him. Slowly he straightened up and looked directly at Megatron. "We wish to make a trade…"

Megatron looked up and raised an optic ridge in interest. "Oh, and what are the terms."

Optimus passed a glance to the rest of his team including StarRacer who all nodded in return. Optimus turned to Megatron and swallowed hard as he choked on the next words to come out of his vocalize.

"We will trade you ALL of the All-Spark fragments…for StarChaser."

Megatron adjusted his stance and raised an optic ridge. "What?"

Optimus turned to Bulkhead and nodded. Bulkhead nodded and opened his mid-plate (grill) compartment and pulled out the same orange and black box that we all have become oh-so familiar with and set it out on the ground out in front of all of them.

Megatron looked up and growled. "And what makes you Autobots think that I'm falling for that trick again?"

Slowly Optimus kneeled down and opened the box. Sure enough, there were several dimly glowing fragments inside the box.

Optimus stood up and stepped away. "No catches. No tricks, all WE want is to have OUR child back."

For a long and somewhat awkward time, there was no movement between either opposing side until Megatron looked up laughing. "And what would you foolish Autobots do if I took the fragments AND the child? Hmm?"

Suddenly StarRacer again tried to break free. "We would fight to the death before we would allow that!"

Eclipse optics slowly drifted to Megatron's face plate as laughter slowly began to erupt from his chest. "Very well, if that's the way you want it…then let it be done."

Optimus held StarRacer in his arms and looked at Megatron confused. "What are you talking about?"

Carefully, Megatron faced Blitzwing and placed Eclipse in his arms and then turned back smiling. "Instead of making a trade, how about we have a showdown."

Optimus pulled StarRacer behind him and growled. "What kind of showdown?"

Megatron chuckled quietly and sighed. "It's a rather simple task really; two bots and ONLY two bots battle in hand to hand combat. No guns… just blades. Last bot standing takes the fragments and the child. In other words, that mech wins everything."

StarRacer shoved herself forward angrily. "And who says it's going to be a _mech_ that's going to be fighting?"

Optimus pulled StarRacer back and placed two steady hands on her shoulders.

StarRacer wheeled around angrily. "Optimus, LET GO!"

Optimus shook his head and spoke hoarsely. "No, if anyone has to correct these wrongs, it's me."

StarRacer looked up and growled. "OPTIMUS!"

Optimus said nothing; instead he merely passed a cold and harsh stare to StarRacer's optics. As much as it angered her she understood. This was something HE had to do, HE promised her that he was going to get her back, and if fighting Megatron in hand to hand combat was the only way…than that was it. There were no arguments.

Optimus glared coldly at Megatron and slowly nodded. "Fine, we'll have it your way Megatron. Last bot standing takes all."

Optimus then took several steps forward and stopped only feet in front of Megatron and posed himself ready for battle with his axe and battle mask over his face.

Megatron turned to both Lugnut, Blitzwing and Eclipse and with a mere wave of his hand; all three backed away near the tree line out of the way. Megatron then pulled out both swords, one in either hand and chuckled. "It's not too late Autobot…I will allow you to forfeit and just walk away."

Without warning Optimus' axe handle doubled in length and he adjusted his stance. "I will never forfeit to you Megatron…not as long as long as systems function and my sparks beats."

Megatron nodded and removed his arm mounted cannon and tossed it to Lugnut, then posed himself for battle. "Have it your way Autobot."

Like a flash of lightning Megatron lunged forward with both blades raging for Optimus' throat and chest. Optimus ducked and thrust his axe forward to block the attempted blow to his chest. He then wheeled his axe around and struck Megatron in the back of his right stabilizing servo. He shouts out in pain then growled as he again tried to place a blow on the surprisingly fast red and blue target. He raised his swords high and struck Optimus in the side.

On the Decepticon side of the prairie, Eclipse watched in horror as Optimus fell to the ground for only a second only to jump out of the way to dodge another lethal blow from Megatron's legendary swords. She couldn't help but turn away and push her face into Blitzwing's chest plate. Blitzwing looked down and laughed. "Don't fret Eclipse, Megatron iz vinning!"

Eclipse looked up and sure enough, it appeared that Megatron was beginning to have the upper hand. Optimus was beginning to slow down in his dodges thus making him an easier target. And Megatron was speeding up because he had reserved his energy and now intended to lay down the hammer on Optimus once and for all.

Even though the battle only seemed to last for a few minutes, it indeed lasted for a few hours; each bot taking a blow at the other and waiting to see who will be the first to fall and not get back up. Megatron thrust his sword down on Optimus only to have it stopped and pulled out of his grip and thrown out of reach.

Exhausted, Optimus held his axe up trying to reserve his strength. "Now…we can fight fairly."

Megatron merely laughed as he lunged for Optimus again. "Taking away one sword won't save you Autobot!"

There were several violent attempts from Megatron to savagely thrust his sword into Optimus' chest, neck and mid plates but surprisingly, Optimus managed to ovoid every blow. That was until Megatron backhanded Optimus across the face plate with a closed fist and knocked him to the ground. Then violently jumped Optimus and pushed his blade down into his shoulder.

The sound of metal literally being torn apart and Optimus screaming made Eclipse cringe. Megatron stood ominously over Optimus holding the blade in place. He chuckled coldly as he twisted and turned the blade to make the wound worse. Optimus clawed at the blade trying to pull out but cringed and screamed at every surging movement.

Then with a quick pull backwards motion, Megatron pulled the blade out and took a small step back. Optimus rolled over onto his side holding his shoulder cursing in agony.

Megatron circled Optimus like a hungry vulture and growled at the Autobot before him. "Get up!"

Eclipse watched in horror as Optimus lay still. Suddenly Megatron grabbed the Autobot leader by the throat and held him up high above his head. "Stand up and fight you coward…even I wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of your _mate_!"

Optimus growled as he tried to pull Megatron's hands away. "I'm not a coward Megatron."

Megatron threw Optimus down to the ground and pinned him down with a single stabilizing servo. "Very well…then you shall _die honorably_."

Megatron then raised his sword high above his head. To Optimus, he was nothing but a silhouette against the evening sun. Optimus looked to his right and saw his axe a little more than arms length away and tried to reach for it. Megatron froze and began to laugh. Optimus looked up dumfounded.

Megatron laughed and shook his head. 'Now, what does this sight remind me of…ah yes that faithful day when we battled on your pathetic ship…"

Megatron then smiled fiendishly. "…only this time…luck won't save you."

Optimus again looked to his axe and frantically reached for it. Megatron laughed as he lowered his blade into his hand. "You know, it's funny Autobot…"

Optimus then looked up and tried to move Megatron's stabilizing servo from his waist. Megatron held his sword to his left as to stab Optimus' at an angle. He smiled and laughed evilly. "…this was over before it even begun."

"**NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" **

Megatron thrust his blade down violently with a great force. Metal ripped and glass shattered. From both sides bots screamed. Optimus opened his optics and watched in horror. Megatron froze and couldn't move.

Shaking violently, Eclipse stood between Optimus and Megatron and had the Decepticon leader's sword punctured straight through her mid plate. Suddenly everyone fell quiet. Slowly Eclipse looked down and saw fuel draining out from the wound. Megatron hesitated but suddenly let go of the sword and grabbed Eclipse and backed a few feet away. Both Lugnut and Blitzwing rushed over and circled Megatron and the child.

Megatron looked down almost screaming. "**Eclipse, what were you thinking? Why did you do that?**"

Eclipse lay frozen in pain on the ground, optics frozen and fuel leaking through her mouth. Megatron looked around and pulled Eclipse closer. "Eclipse, speak to me…why did you do that?"

Eclipse slowly looked up from his arms and was slow to speak. "Megatron…I…I…I couldn't…let you do it."

She laid her head back and swallowed hard. "I couldn't let…you kill him…"

Megatron looked up at the Autobots crowding around their leader and watching them. Bumblebee took a small step forward toward them. Megatron immediately snatched his cannon from Lugnut and aimed for the yellow Autobot. "STAY BACK!" Bumblebee froze and stepped back. Megatron again looked down at the child then at Blitzwing. Blitzwing scanned her and shook his head. "She iz fading fast my lord."

Suddenly Megatron felt a small hand rest on his arm. He looked down only to see her staring up at him. "Megatron…please…you…you have to…let me go…"

Megatron looked down confused and angry. "What?"

Eclipse then looked at the Autobots watching horrified and tears swelling. "You…have to let…me go with them…"

Megatron looked up and growled angrily. "But they're—!"

She again swallowed hard. "Autobots…I know…just like me."

Megatron looked down both dumbfounded and furious. Eclipse looked at him, still smiling. "Megatron…no matter what my father has done to hurt me…that still doesn't change the fact that he's my father…and deep down…I know in my spark that he loves me…and my mother too."

She then weakly turned her attention the Autobots who were watching. "…and if my dad was willing to die to get me back…then I know I'm doing the right thing."

She then turned back to Megatron smiling. "If I want any chance of surviving…you have to let them take me home…my REAL home."

There was a long and awkward silence that again passed, but with each passing second Eclipse's spark was growing dimmer and Megatron knew it. With a heavy and unsettling sigh Megatron gently placed the child on the ground and stepped back. Both Lugnut and Blitzwing watched in awe, but followed. The Autobots too watched in awe.

Megatron looked up and growled. "I'm not doing this for you Autobot…I'm doing this for her!"

Then with a fury of moving metal they transformed and flew into the fading evening sky. Only seconds after they were out of sight, both Optimus and StarRacer lunged for their dying child. StarRacer screamed for Ratchet as Optimus fought with himself whether to remove the blade or not and screamed at little StarChaser to stay with him. Ratchet demanded that Optimus not touch the blade as much as possible because it was actually slowing the loss of fuel making her die slower. StarChaser on the other hand was beginning to black out and all she remembered was her father's voice begging her to stay with him.


	13. Chapter 17

**^_^ (hehehe) sorry, that I left u readers with a cliffy…but…I just couldn't resist! Hope you guys enjoy the FINAL chapter of "Through a Youngling's Optics"… (It's an Early Christmas present for all of you!) I'm sorry to say, but yes this is the last chapter…thanks for all the great comments… I bow down before u guys in admiration. Thanks for coming along for the ride, and I look forward to seeing your comments on future stories… my acknowledgments go out to the following, thank you for the great comments and all of your support; ****WolfPrime****, thanks for your kind words and I'm very pleased that you enjoyed the story… ****AMYLEE PRIME****, thank you for giving me several positive comments, I'm glad you enjoyed what I wrote!... ****pokemonjkl, ****same goes out to you…I'm glad you enjoyed the story… ****The Love Doc****, ****I'm glad that my story made you laugh! And I hope to hear from you in future stories. ^_^ As I said before, I'm deeply humbled and grateful that I got so many positive comments from you guys… Thank You! Happy Holidays!**

**-ScreamGurl**

CHAPTER 17

Her head pounded.

Her tank ached.

And there was nothing but blackness.

Slowly her mind began to drift into an uncontrollable state of panic.

"_Oh Primus…OH PRIMUS…DID I DIE? IS THIS THE WELL-OF-ALL-SPARKS? I'VE BEEN SCREWED! I DIED DOING A NOBLE THING, AND I HAVE TO SIT IN DARKNESS FOR THE REST OF ETERNITY? THIS FRAGGIN SUCKS! Wait; if this is the Well-of-All-Sparks….I WOULDN'T BE __**FRAGGIN**__ NAUSEOUS!"_

…

…

…

…

…

Suddenly the lights flip on.

StarChaser cringed and blinked. With much difficulty she pulled a heavy arm over her optics and groaned. Bulkhead was standing in the door and grinned widely but soon scowled at Bumblebee.

"Bee, you were supposed to be watching her and tell us when she woke up!"

Then there was a loud snort from the other side of the room and a yawn that soon followed. "Huh, what, who?"

Bulkhead stomped an angry stabilizing servo and growled. "I _SAID you_ were supposed to be watching StarChaser and tell us when she woke up!"

Again Bumblebee yawned while rubbing his optics. "I was watching…I just…needed to rest my optics."

Bulkhead shook his head and laughed slightly. "Listen little buddy, Prime and StarRacer have been taking shifts watching little StarChaser for the last four days and they finally feel comfortable letting us watch her…and now she finally wakes up and you're not awake to tell anybody?"

Bumblebee leaned back in his chair and groaned. "I was tired!"

Suddenly a quiet giggle escaped from the med berth and StarChaser lay still watching the two with a smile. But soon she laid her head back and sighed. Bulkhead nodded to Bumblebee who soon ran out of the med bay.

Bulkhead slowly approached and sat down besides her smiling. "Hey kiddo, how ya feeling?"

She looked up both tired and queasy. "Bulkhead…everything hurts. My head hurts…my sides hurt…my arms hurt…my stabilizing servos hurt…everything hurts_! But mostly my mid plate_."

Bulkhead laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I bet it does."

"**STARCHASER!"**

Bulkhead moved to the side only to reveal a relieved Prime and a bawling femme by his side. StarChaser smiled widely. "Momma! Daddy!"

Both Optimus and StarRacer streaked past Bulkhead and carefully took StarChaser into their arms. It was a little bit of a shock to her systems but she didn't care. All she wanted was her mom and dad.

Optimus pulled her close to his chest plate and whispered with tears streaming. "I thought we lost you for good."

StarRacer sat beside Optimus caressing her back and kissing her all over her face plate. "Thank Primus you're alright!"

StarChaser sat there uncomfortable and nauseous and was being smothered in hugs, kisses and tears.

Slowly StarChaser muscled her way up through her father's arms and gasped but giggled. "You know, I _REALLY_ missed hugs and kisses."

Just then Ratchet walked in and scoffed at the sight. "You know if you two poor saps keep smothering her like that, she'll never heal properly!"

Both Prime and StarRacer passed an easy glance to one another before glaring at Ratchet and thus pulling StarChaser closer to themselves.

Ratchet merely shook his head as he activated his magnetic abilities and pulled StarChaser away from her clingy parents and carefully held her in his hands.

StarChaser looked up at the grumpy medic and growled. "Ratchet, what'd you go and do that for?"

Ratchet looked away rolling his optics. "Because little one…_clingy parents_ plus _wounded sparkling_ equals BAD IDEA."

StarChaser leaned back into a cradle position and yawned. "Why is that Ratchet?"

Ratchet looked down then over the couple on the berth; both staring coldly at Ratchet. "Well, it's like this kid, you're wounded enough as it is and we need to give you time to heal. But if your foolish parents over there don't stop handling you so roughly with affection it may take longer for the healing process to become complete. So they either both have to learn to be gentle and not pick you up so much or you'll be quarantined from them and then they CAN'T see you."

Both Optimus and StarRacer looked up and screamed in sync to one another. "WHAT? RATCHET YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"

Ratchet merely waved them off and sighed. "That's the way it's going to have to be if you don't start being more careful around StarChaser."

Grouchily Optimus turned away and huffed in frustration whereas StarChaser merely giggles as she gently leaned back in Ratchet's arms and crossed her stabilizing servos. "Daddy, you know as well as I do that there's just no arguing with Ratchet, so: maybe it'd be better if you and momma just do what he tells you…for now."

Ratchet laughed nodding his head. "Ha, smart kid; at least she knows what's good for her."

There was a short moment of silence until everyone burst out laughing. StarChaser looked around the familiar med bay and only saw smiling and rejoicing over her return. It was then that she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She had been returned to her old red and blue self again complete with light blue optics and a bright red Autobot symbol she bore on her right shoulder. She looked at it and looked up at both her mother and father who were watching her with loving smiles and warm words of affection. It was good to be home again.

Days passed, then weeks and eventually a month came on went. StarChaser had been improving at a reasonable rate and was up and moving around and thus, getting into her old habits. Slowly things started to return to normal…or at least, to the way things were BEFORE Optimus and StarRacer had gotten into that fight that caused little StarChaser to run off in the first place.

StarChaser had return to her old ways and was periodically causing trouble and getting into mischief; you know the usual things that you would expect a sparkling her age to do, (or at least that's what Ratchet said).

Playing video games with Bumblebee, going to the park with Prowl and painting pictures with Bulkhead once again became the centers of amusement and things once again proceeded to be quite pleasant.

But at night, Ratchet would ask that she power-down in the med bay just to be safe, and every night…she would think about that evening were Megatron freed her.

She often would question herself and ponder over the fact that Megatron let her go; no questions asked. The questions that would often loom in her mind before she found herself drifting into stasis were:

"_Why did he save me? He heard me say that I was and will always be an Autobot, why wouldn't he have just slagged me when he had the chance? Why didn't he just grab the fragments and go?"_

Again that same night, it was those questions that troubled her mind. Sitting up on the berth, her optics caught glance of the very thing that wounded her and rendered her in the state she was in now; Megatron's sword. It was placed on a high shelf on the way opposite side of the room, obviously left to rust for no one dared touch it. After it had been removed from her mid plate, it was placed there with no intention of ever being used again. For StarChaser, it would serve as a reminder of the deadly things in this life as well as the misunderstood.

Slowly StarChaser rose off the berth and crossed the room. Carefully she climbed the shelving and grabbed the handle of the massive sword and looked at her reflection in the metal. For a long time she stood motionless until she sighed heavily. Putting the sword down, she carefully walked over to and peaked out the med bay door. The entire base was quiet not a thing stirred. She shook her head and proceeded into the bay but stopped and stared solemnly at the sword. She picked it up and walked out of the med bay and into the rec. room and out the door into the night. She looked back and then at the sword.

"This doesn't belong to me…better to return it to its rightful owner."

Suddenly she transformed into her little Cybertronian vehicle form and drove off into the night with the sword secured to her hood.

Early that next morning, trees deep within the forests just outside near the old carbon mines crashed to the ground, one after the other. Both Blitzwing and Lugnut sat tiredly by the base doors watching as Megatron used his remaining sword, his cannon and of course his fists to turn the local trees into nothing but splinters and throughout his entire display of rage he mumbled and cursed to himself.

"Why? Why did I do that? How could I have become so –, ARRRGGHH! THOSE ACCURSED AUTOBOTS! HOW COULD I HAVE ALLOWED THIS STUPID SPARK OF MINE TO BECOME ATTACHED TO AN AUTOBOT SPARKLING? AN _**AUTOBOT**_ SPARKLING!"

Finally Megatron had stopped tearing down trees and now was pacing angrily back and forth in front of his soldier

Blitzwing leaned over to Lugnut and whispered. "Do you shink he'll be alright?"

Lugnut merely shrugged and leaned back to rest his single optic as their mighty leader continued to storm around them in a huff. Sighing Blitzwing sat back and was going to power-down himself when he caught a glimpse of an oncoming cloud of smoke approaching them.

Blitzwing stood up and pointed. "Lord Megatron, somevone of someshing iz heading straight for us!"

Megatron stopped and posed himself for battle. Blitzwing's face changed to its tempered state and kicked Lugnut in the side. He snorted and looked up angrily but soon rose to his stabilizing servos to join his fearless leader. But through the trees a little red and blue Cybertronian vehicle tore out of the brush and stopped yards away. It was when it stopped that Megatron realized it had its other sword on its hood.

Megatron glimpsed over his shoulder to the two 'Cons standing behind him. "Lugnut, Blitzwing lower your weapons."

Confused, Lugnut and Blitzwing passed glances to one another but did as constructed. There was a long silence until the little vehicle transformed to reveal a very familiar sparkling.

For a moment Megatron was lost for word but soon laughed and shook his head. "Well, if it isn't our little Eclipse. So you decided to come back to your destiny after all."

StarChaser passed a glimpse and even a small smile to each present Decepticon but instead only took a few steps forward, placed the sword at his stabilizing servos and stepped away still smiling.

Blitzwing looked her up and down with his 'psycho persona' then covered his mouth and gasped. "OH ECLIPSE VHAT DID ZHOSE AUTOBOTS DO TO YOU? YOU LOOK LIKE VONE OF ZHEM AGAIN!"

Megatron looked the smiling child up and down many times. Sure enough she was again painted in the colors that her sire had given her. She had blue optics and a bright Autobot symbol on her right shoulder plate.

Megatron looked up and growled. "What happened to you child?"

StarChaser looked away and shrugged while still smiling. "I went home…"

Lugnut looked away and growled as he crossed his arms. "I thought this was your home now?"

StarChaser looked down shaking her head. "It may be home for you guys, but it's not home for me."

Slowly StarChaser turned to walk away only to have Megatron yell after her. "Why did you come back?"

She stopped and turned. Megatron stepped forward grabbing his sword off the ground. "If you finally made it _home_ then why did you return here?"

She was quiet for sometime before she pointed to the sword and giggle. "I had to return what rightfully belongs to you."

She then smiled and turned away. Megatron froze staring at his sword until he looked up and shouted. "Eclipse…ECLIPSE COME BACK HERE!"

She stopped and turned around and glared. "My name is NOT Eclipse…my name is and with forever be StarChaser. And next time we meet Megatron, it won't be for pleasantry…I'm an Autobot and will always be an Autobot, and if we DO ever meet again we won't be allies, we will be enemies. But for now the feelings remain neutral."

Again StarChaser slowly turned around and began to walk away leaving three Decepticon in utter awe. But then StarChaser stopped and looked over her shoulder and grinned. "You better keep your optics out for me Megatron, because you'll find me in the shadows posed for battle when you least expect me…"

Slowly StarChaser began to laugh as she waved over her shoulder at the dumbfounded mechs behind her. "…see ya later Megs."

StarChaser again started walking away only to transform and disappear through the trees.

All three 'Cons stood motionless and quiet until Blitzwing let out a heavy sigh. "Vell, now vhat do ve do?"

Lugnut shrugged and looked to Megatron. "My Lord, do you wish that we retrieve the child and make her return?"

Megatron stood silent for a long time until finally he turned around laughing. "That child would have made a wondrous Decepticon."

He walked past the two into the base laughing to himself until he stopped and looked behind himself in the direction the sparkling went. "…until we meet again…StarChaser."

Back at the Autobot base, everyone searched frantically through the base. StarRacer looked up and pleaded. "Okay, has anyone found her or even a trace of her yet?"

Bumblebee and Bulkhead both looked up shaking their heads. "No StarRacer, we checked her room and all of our rooms including the med bay; she's not in any of them."

Prowl walked in the door shaking his head grumbling. "I checked the entire perimeter of the base and the park, and she's not in any of those places."

Ratchet walked in and groaned miserably. "I fraggin' checked the basement and the attic, she's nowhere to be found."

StarRacer looked down covering her optics. Optimus walked up behind her and embraced her in an encouraging hug as he looked at his crew. "Keep searching guys, she's GOT to be around here somewhere."

"Who's got to be around here somewhere?"

Suddenly everyone wheeled around to look at the base door only to see StarChaser standing there with a wide and cheerful grin. "Can I help you guys find whatever it is you're looking for?"

Immediately everyone screamed StarChaser's name and charged at her. She yelped and tried to jump out of the way of the stampede of adults but was scooped up in their arms and smothered in hugs and kisses form her mother and father and received a bountiful amount of good wishes and threats of: 'if-you-ever-do-that-again-kid-I'll-take-off-your-stabilizing-servos' (and those she got from Ratchet of course). But Optimus and StarRacer laughed at the look of horror and apology given from their child.

Looking down at the child in her arms, StarRacer laughed and cuddled closer. "So, where did you go anyway?"

StarChaser swallowed hard and shrugged. "I just had to return something to its rightful owner."

Bumblebee, without even thinking shrugged and chuckled. "Ya' went to Megatron didn't you."

Without warning both StarRacer and Optimus got face to face with StarChaser and almost screamed. "You went to Megatron?"

Everyone froze and stared in awe, horror and anger at the sparkling with them. StarChaser stared blankly at Bumblebee with an open mouth. "How'd you know that?"

Bumblebee stared at StarChaser with amazed optics. "When Bulkhead and I were in the med bay looking for you earlier, I noticed that the sword was gone!"

Optimus looked down and growled at his off-spring. "Why would you do something like that StarChaser, he could have—!"

StarChaser looked up raising and optic. "Killed me?"

There was a moment of silence among the large group until StarChaser muscled her way down out of her mother's arms. "Dad, I did something I had to do…and now I have some closure."

Bumblebee bent down and again got in little StarChaser's face plate. "Wait a nano-click, you know where the Decepticon base is?"

Just then all optics were set on her waiting for an answer. She swallowed hard and looked away. "Look, I know what all of you are thinking; you think that if I tell you where the Decepticon base is then you can inform the Elite Guard and end this war right now…but…"

Bumblebee looked up almost frantic. "But? But what? Come on kid spit it out, where is the Decepticon base?"

StarChaser looked up shaking her head. "Bumblebee, I CAN'T tell you guys."

"What? WHY NOT?" Bumblebee looked to the others around him looking for support.

StarChaser then looked directly at her father and smiled. "Because I can't break my promise…no matter who I make it to."

Again there was a long pause of silence until Optimus shook his head laughing. "Well, if you have yet to break a promise…then it would be a real shame to start now."

Gently Optimus kneeled down and took StarChaser into his arms and proceeded into the base with her mother close behind. Ratchet and Prowl merely shook their heads and followed. Bulkhead looked at Bee and shrugged before fallowing and poor Bee brought up the caboose.

"Well, that wasn't worth slag."

Bumblebee shook his head as he disappeared into the base.

Later that night, StarChaser sat quietly on the roof of the base…her home…her REAL home. Down below on the parking lot she could clearly see Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Prowl and Sari playing hockey. And surprisingly enough Ratchet was the referee. StarChaser would laugh every time Ratchet would yell at one of them for hitting the puck too close to his stabilizing servos. She would look of into the distance and see the city begin to glow with the setting sun. This was a good place to live and she loved it here.

"Hey, do mind if I sit with you?"

StarChaser turned slightly only to see her father standing behind her smiling. She slid over and patted the space next to her. Optimus smiled and took the invitation with humility. StarChaser watched him sit and smiled when he looked down at her. He smiled in return and sighed as he looked out onto the city. StarChaser sat quietly looking at the things she was looking at before.

Optimus looked down at her out of the corner of his optics and laughed as he leaned down closer and whispered. "What are you looking at?"

StarChaser shook her head not taking her optics away from the setting sun and the silhouette of a city entering its nightly domain. "Nothing, just the city."

Optimus nodded as he sat up straight and looked out to there too. "It is somewhat beautiful in the evening, isn't it?"

StarChaser giggled. "Yeah, it kind of reminds me of Cybertron City."

Optimus was quiet for some time as he cocked his head and again looked out over the city. Then he paused and laughed. "Yeah I kind of does look a lot like Cybertron City."

Optimus looked down and smiled at StarChaser who returned the smile.

There again was a long pause of silence until finally StarChaser stretched out and leaned up against her father's side. "Dad?"

Optimus looked down still smiling. "Hmm?"

"Now that I've gone 'toe-to-toe' as the humans say with Megatron, and I've seen what life's like on both sides of the track, do you think my adventures in life are over?"

Optimus again was silent but soon looked down laughing. "Oh StarChaser, at one time I too saw life through a sparkling's optics and I can tell you from experience. Your adventure is not ending…"

Carefully Optimus pulled StarChaser into his arms and pointed t the night sky at a passing meteor. "…see StarChaser the truth is…."

**~::(An Entire Meteor Shower Starts To Rain From The Heavens)::~**

"…_YOUR real adventure is just around the corner, you just have to go out there and find it…"_


	14. The End?

_**:::::**_

_**Me: "Yeah the story is finally finished!"**_

_**(Both Autobots and Decepticons cheer wildly)**_

_**Megatron: "It's about time you finish this fraggin' mushy stuff, I was starting to feel like you were ACTUALLY going to make me seem like 'a good guy'."**_

_**Me: "Oh come on Megs, would it really be all that bad?"**_

_**Megatron: "YOU!"**_

_**Me: "Me what?"**_

_**Megatron: "It was YOU that taught that Autobot femmling that nickname! Now she won't stop calling me it!"**_

_**(StarChaser giggles hysterically from the background)**_

_**Megatron: "You see? YOU SEE? That runt is mocking me!"**_

_**(All Autobots including Blitzwing start laughing hysterically)**_

_**Megatron: "ALL OF YOU SHUT UP! AND BLITZWING YOU ARE ONE OF MY SOLDIERS, YOU SHOULD BE SIDING WITH YOUR LEADER!"**_

_**Optimus: "Oh come on Megatron, it's not all bad…"**_

_**Megatron: "Easy for you to say Autobot scum, you got fragged like crazy in this story." **_

_**(AWKWARD SILENCE)**_

…

_**(Optimus turns to me)**_

_**Optimus: "Why DID I have to get fragged in THIS story anyway."**_

_**StarRacer: "Because I asked her to put it in…why, do you have a problem with that?"**_

_**Optimus: "NO NO NO NO NO not at all! I love your valve and I can't get enough but—!"**_

_**(StarRacer grabs Optimus by the antenna)**_

_**StarRacer: "That's all I needed to hear…"**_

_**(StarRacer drags Optimus out of the room and he's wailing like a child)**_

_**(StarChaser sticks her glossa in disgust and turns to me)**_

_**StarChaser: "Why did you have to stick me with THEM?"**_

_**Me: (smiling broadly) "Would you rather have Sentinel as a sire? **_

_**Sentinel: (from another room) Hey! What are you guys talking about?**_

_**StarChaser: (Shuttering) EEEEEEEWWWWWWWW No, No, No I'm happy…I'm happy.**_

_**Me: "Okay, does anyone else wish to get in a last word before I make my final announcement?"**_

_**Bulkhead: "Hey, has anyone seen those pastel paints I got the other day?"**_

_**Me: (sighs and rubs eyes) "Okay, now that everyone has gotten everything out of their systems…"**_

_**(Optimus suddenly screams form the other room)**_

_**StarRacer: (from the other room) "Oh quit being a sparkling, BE A MECH!"**_

_**Me: (clears throat) "Most everybody anyway….ANYWHO…my announcement is that…Blitzwing drum roll please!" **_

_**(Blitzwing starts frantically beating on old oil cans then stops abruptly)**_

_**Me: "THERE WILL POSSIBLY BE YET ANOTHER SEQUAL TO THE **__**PRIME'S SPARKLING TRILOGY**__**! YEAH!"**_

_**(Awkward silence)**_

_**Me: (turning around) "What?"**_

_**Megatron: "You are going to make us do ANOTHER story?"**_

_**StarScream: "Oh come on, we NEED to do another story…I was barely in THIS one!"**_

_**(Megatron shoves StarScream away)**_

_**Megatron: "Absolutely Not! I am NOT doing another one of these pathetic 'spark-warming' mushy novels of yours, I QUIT!"**_

_**(Megatron starts to walk away but stops)**_

_**Megatron: "Wait a nano-click, instead of me walking away…I could just eliminate the source!"**_

_**(Megatron points his cannon at me)**_

_**Me: "W-Wait an minute! What do you think your—? Oh no…oh no…oh Christ NO! Wait…just put the cannon down and let's talk about this! Megatron please NOT THE FACE!"**_

_**(I run away screaming bloody murder)**_

_**(Most other bots fallow Meg's lead and tear off after me)**_

_**Ratchet: "How about we write a story about her, it'll be called: The Day of Reckoning: when Autobots and Decepticons joined forces to kill an annoying author!"**_

_**Lugnut: "I second that motion!"**_

_**(as both Autobots and Decepticons chase after me with murder in their optics, Blitzwing pops up out of nowhere with his psycho face on)**_

_**Blitzwing: "Good-bye everybody! Ve vill see you all later!"**_

_**:::::**_

_**XD**_

_**TTFN**_


End file.
